On Wednesday, CNN+ unveiled details of the full slate of original content that will be available to subscribers when the service launches this spring. The streaming service will feature live, on-demand and interactive news and lifestyle programming airing daily and weekly.
“Nothing like CNN+ exists in the marketplace, and no one other than CNN could create the kind of product we’re going to deliver,” CNN+ boss and digital chief Andrew Morse said in a statement. “CNN+ will offer world class journalism, premium storytelling, smart perspectives on the news and an interactive community for passionate news junkies. At the heart of CNN+ will be our team of anchors, reporters and personalities, and the three red and white letters that mean so much to audiences around the world.”
Weekday, daily programming will be hosted by CNN anchors and correspondents, including Kate Bolduan, Sara Sidner, Bianca Nobilo (who will anchor an hour of global news), Wolf Blitzer, Brian Stelter, Kasie Hunt and Chris Wallace.
Here’s more about their respective shows:
– 5 Things with Kate Bolduan: Need to get up to speed quickly? CNN’s most popular newsletter and podcast is expanding to a new morning show hosted by CNN Anchor Kate Bolduan. 5 Things gives you the five stories you need to know to start your day. Grab a coffee and count down the top five essential stories of the morning with us.
– Big Picture with Sara Sidner: Big Picture is an in-depth look at the most important and interesting story of the day, hosted by CNN’s Sara Sidner. Sidner hosts a deep-dive conversation featuring CNN’s award-winning reporters and expert guests. Zoom out and contemplate the broader scope of today’s top story and how various pieces of the puzzle connect.
– The Global Brief with Bianca Nobilo: The Global Brief with Bianca Nobilo an incisive look at the most important international news stories in the last 24 hours – providing unrivaled depth and quality for busy CNN+ viewers in a fast-moving world.
– Go There: Go There takes you to the front lines of breaking news. Join the crew and go behind the scenes with CNN’s reporters and correspondents stationed around the world. We have cameras in every corner of the planet. This is your live, all-access pass to the most essential and visual news stories of the day. Currently available exclusively on CNN Digital properties, Go There’s award-winning reporting has been recognized across the industry and holds the title of the most watched news video on Facebook with live reporting from Wuhan, China in January 2020.
– The Newscast with Wolf Blitzer: CNN Anchor Wolf Blitzer gives it to you straight, hitting the headlines you need to know on this traditional evening newscast with a sleek, modern twist. The old-school nostalgic approach featuring original reporting from around the world, investigations and consumer focused stories that matter helps put the latest headlines in perspective.
– Reliable Sources Daily: From New York to Hollywood to Silicon Valley – CNN’s Chief Media Correspondent and Anchor Brian Stelter brings together all the headlines in the media on Reliable Sources Daily – a new expansion of his nightly e-newsletter, podcast and Sunday show on CNN. He’ll take a critical look at the media, how the news is made and why it matters to you. This show is your most reliable source in the quickly evolving world of media, business and entertainment.
– The Source with Kasie Hunt: Get a fresh take on politics with CNN Anchor and Chief National Affairs Analyst Kasie Hunt, as she travels around the nation’s capital to dissect the power structures behind policies impacting communities across the country. Join Hunt for exclusive, illuminating interviews, in-depth analysis and straightforward insights for both seasoned news junkies and political novices.
– Who’s Talking to Chris Wallace? Join CNN+ Anchor Chris Wallace, one of the most highly-respected journalists of our time, in candid conversations with prominent individuals across the spectrum of news, sports, entertainment, art and culture. Wallace moves outside of politics to include his wide range of interests – from interviews to conversations, and from headlines to smart, sensible, in-depth discussions. He seeks light, not heat.
The streaming service will also feature weekly programming from current CNN personalities and folks new to the network—former NPR host Audie Cornish, two shows fronted by Anderson Cooper, Poppy Harlow, Cari Champion and Jemele Hill, Christiane Amanpour, Don Lemon, Jake Tapper, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, Scott Galloway and Rex Chapman.
– 20 Questions with Audie Cornish: Acclaimed journalist and CNN Anchor Audie Cornish has 20 questions for her guests, who range from newsmakers to cultural icons. Her passion for the art of storytelling will be on display with in-depth conversations that bring a fresh approach to the stories and issues that matter.
– Anderson Cooper Full Circle: CNN Anchor Anderson Cooper hosts a twice-weekly show that features Cooper interviewing authors, entertainers, mindfulness experts and community leaders, while highlighting the stories happening outside of Washington. Previously available exclusively on CNN Digital properties, the show also answers viewer questions and shares uplifting stories submitted by fans.
– Boss Files with Poppy Harlow: What does it take to be the boss? CNN Anchor Poppy Harlow gets the answers from the biggest names in business. Sit in on intimate conversations and confessions from today’s most influential leaders and learn how personal and professional struggles helped them forge a path to success.
– Cari & Jemele: Speak.Easy.: Co-hosts Jemele Hill & Cari Champion toast and roast the stories that have everyone talking. From the biggest headlines in sports, politics and culture, they’ll tell you how they see it.
– Christiane Amanpour: One of the world’s most accomplished international correspondents will bring her years of experience and unique global perspective to CNN+.
– The Don Lemon Show: Make your voice heard in this weekly talk show, a brand new format for the news veteran. There are no limits to the conversation as CNN Anchor Don Lemon and his studio audience take on the most talkable news stories each week.
– Jake Tapper’s Book Club: Read between the lines with CNN Anchor and Chief Washington Correspondent Jake Tapper as he interviews a diverse roster of newsmaking authors and a few of his all-time favorites. Find out the story behind their bestselling and critically acclaimed books and add more to your reading list along the way.
– Masters in Medicine with Dr. Sanjay Gupta: Make a weekly appointment with CNN’s Chief Medical Correspondent and a practicing neurosurgeon Sanjay Gupta, as he takes you to mini med school and helps you discover the tools to master your own health.
– Scott Galloway: Serial entrepreneur, bestselling author and business professor Scott Galloway isn’t afraid to make bold predictions and hold the powerful accountable. His unapologetic take is essential viewing for anyone interested in how business, tech and society intersect. Prepare to be enlightened and entertained. (Show title to be released at a later date)
– Parental Guidance with Anderson Cooper: New dad, CNN Anchor Anderson Cooper gets parenting advice from experts as he navigates life as a working parent. Anderson confronts everyday challenges from sleep schedules to screen time to audience questions about relatable daily struggles.
– Rex Chapman: He’s celebrated the highs of NBA stardom, rebounded from the lows of opioid addiction, and reinvented himself through social media. If anyone can find the silver lining in today’s toughest headlines, it’s Rex Chapman. He brings heart and positivity to conversations with celebrities, athletes and everyday heroes.
CNN+ will also launch with new CNN+ Original Series and CNN Films.
“CNN+ is an exciting new chapter in CNN’s history, and offers us the opportunity to launch CNN+ Original Series and expand our CNN Films footprint as we produce fresh and engaging programming exclusive to our new subscription service” said CNN evp of talent and content development, and network interim co-head Amy Entelis. “We are thrilled to add new offerings to the extensive library of CNN Original Series and CNN Films produced over the last decade, which will now be available in one place for CNN+ subscribers.”
Here are those new offerings, exclusive to CNN+.
– The Land of the Giants: Titans of Tech: This five-part series investigates the meteoric rise of Meta (formerly Facebook), Apple, Amazon, Netflix and Google. Based on the podcast from Recode by Vox and the Vox Media Podcast Network, this timely documentary series explores the full and complicated history of these organizations, from their humble beginnings to their present-day standing as global powerhouses. Combining rarely seen archival footage and exclusive interviews from experts and tech insiders, this series illuminates new insights in their origin stories with a focus on their iconic founders: Mark Zuckerberg, Steve Jobs, Jeff Bezos, Reed Hastings, Larry Page and Sergey Brin. All episodes of Land of Giants: Titans of Tech will be available to stream at launch.
– The Murdochs: Empire of Influence: This six-part series explores the legacy of media mogul Rupert Murdoch and the dynasty he built. Featuring exclusive reporting from The New York Times, interviews with people who worked inside the Murdoch companies, and decades of rich archival footage, this series – in partnership with The New York Times and Left/Right – goes behind the scenes of the improbable rise of a media tycoon, his outsized political influence around the globe and the intense succession battle among his children over who will inherit his throne. Cinematic and thrilling, all episodes of The Murdochs: Empire of Influence will be available to stream at launch.
– DIONNE WARWICK: Don’t Make Me Over: CNN Films offers a deeply personal, intimate portrait of the velvet-voiced songstress that yields new insights into Dionne Warwick’s rise to music superstardom. From singing in her grandfather’s church, to her six-Grammy® Award winning career, to her life beyond the lights, Warwick has stood up to discrimination in America, and used her voice for her art and to bring positive change and compassion around the world. Produced, directed and written by Dave Wooley, and directed by David Heilbroner, DIONNE WARWICK: Don’t Make Me Over will premiere on CNN+ this spring
– The Last Movie Stars: A lush and celebratory epic, revealed in a six-chapter CNN Film, The Last Movie Stars, explores the lives and love story of actors Joanne Woodward and Paul Newman. Directed by Ethan Hawke, and executive produced by Martin Scorsese, the enigmatic stars, and those closest to them, granted interviews decades ago that were transcribed and now voiced by contemporary actors including George Clooney, Oscar Isaac, LaTanya Richardson Jackson and Laura Linney for the film. Sally Field, Melanie Griffith and others interviewed about the pair discuss their legacy on film and extraordinary philanthropy. The Last Movie Stars will premiere on CNN+ this summer.
In addition to live daily and weekly programming as well as new original series and films, CNN+ will house more than a thousand hours of content from the vast library of CNN Original Series, CNN Films and CNN Special Reports:
– CNN Original Series library titles available at launch include 13-time Primetime Emmy® Award-winning Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown (Seasons 1-12); the Primetime Emmy® Award-nominated “Decades Series”: The Sixties, The Seventies, The Eighties, The Nineties, and The 2000s; Diana; Finding Jesus: Faith, Fact, Forgery (Seasons 1-2); First Ladies; American Dynasties: The Kennedys; LBJ: Triumph & Tragedy; Lincoln: Divide We Stand; Pope: The Most Powerful Man in History; Race for the White House (Seasons 1-2); Reframed: Marilyn Monroe; Primetime Emmy® Award-winning Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy; The History of Comedy (Seasons 1-2); The Movies; The Windsors: Inside the Royal Dynasty; The Wonder List with Bill Weir (Seasons 1-3); This is Life with Lisa Ling (Seasons 1-7); and the five-time Primetime Emmy® Award-winning United Shades of America with W. Kamau Bell (Seasons 1-6).
– Nearly two dozen acclaimed and award-winning CNN Films will be available in the CNN+ library at launch, and additional fan and festival favorites will be added on regular basis. Content available at launch will include the Academy Award-nominated, Emmy®-winning RBG, about the life and legacy of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg; the Grammy® Award-winning film, Linda Ronstadt: The Sound of My Voice, about the music icon and legend; and, the Grammy® Award-winning Glen Campbell: I’ll Be Me, a biographical documentary about the music legend as he fights through his devastating experience of Alzheimer’s disease during his farewell tour.
– More than 100 episodes of CNN Special Reports, including two dozen specials from Fareed Zakaria and four of Dr. Sanjay Gupta’s specials on health.
– CNN+ will be the home to Pop Docs, timely and topical premium documentary specials that tap into the zeitgeist and explore the buzziest pop culture stories.
– CNN+ subscribers will have access to 40 years of history as told by CNN, including programs and events from the archive like Larry King Live and moments from the fall of the Berlin Wall to the Challenger disaster and the Gulf War.
Not only will CNN+ offer programming, new and existing, but there will be a third content offering on the service named Interview club, which the network calls “a thriving community that will allow subscribers to drive the conversation and be part of the story.”
As part of this Interview Club, CNN+ subscribers will have the ability to connect directly with anchors, experts and special guests in live, interactive conversations. They’ll be able to ask and get their questions answered about the issues that matter most to them. CNN+ says, “Interview Club features the ability for subscribers to submit questions live and in advance of the daily scheduled interviews between CNN’s journalists and newsmakers from their computer, tablet or mobile device.”