Warner Bros. Discovery executives are looking to add CNN to its streaming service Max nee HBO Max later this year.
With the dissolution of CNN+ in 2022, CNN abandoned its streaming plans and has not had a concrete strategy since. The presence of an interim executive structure following Chris Licht’s departure earlier this month has seemingly further complicated things.
But now executives in charge of streaming at CNN parent company Warner Bros. Discovery want to make CNN available on Max, according to a report from Bloomberg. Initial conversations regarding this decision focus on making CNN available to Max users outside the United States.
CNN’s distribution agreements with pay-TV providers like Xfinity, Spectrum, DirecTV, and Verizon Fios complicate its efforts to have it available within the U.S., as these providers aren’t exactly open to sharing content they’re paying for with a direct-to-consumer service.
Max, which at relaunch is currently absent of live news and sports, already has some CNN original programming on its platform, namely Who’s Talking to Chris Wallace and The Whole Story with Anderson Cooper. By adding live programming, in particular CNN’s live programming, the streaming service would generate additional value and give it an edge in the highly competitive streaming wars.
For CNN, getting its programming on Max would allow it to access a new subscriber base, especially considering that its current pay-TV subscriber base fell from 85 million to 75 million in 2020, according to S&P Global Market Intelligence.