CNN Plans Launch of Digital Subscription Product by End of 2024 Amid Newsroom Layoffs
variety.comBrian Steinberg Senior TV Editor CNN is finally gearing up to compete more aggressively in the digital future, where rivals have already staked out ground.
The Warner Bros. Discovery-backed news outlet will launch a new subscription product on CNN.com before the end of the year, according to a new memo from CNN Chairman and CEO Mark Thompson, and debut two new free ad-supported digital offerings, one based on CNN’s original series and productions, and another based on its Spanish-language service. “We plan to take the journalistic firepower, user-experience and commercial potential of CNN Digital to the next level with strategic commitment, significant fresh investment, an injection of specialist expertise and plenty of creativity and experimentation,’” said Thompson, who didn’t offer granular details about the new subscription concept. “We will develop new digital products with a special focus on digital experiences worth paying for.” The memo, like similar ones the news leader has issued in the recent past, was broad and, in some cases, vague.
But it reveals his continued efforts to push CNN, a mainstay of traditional television into a new age even as news junkies increasingly turn to non-traditional video sources for both quick-hit information and in-depth reportage.
The maneuver is crucial. Unlike many of its rivals, CNN has yet to develop a sustainable digital-video product. And while it experiments, competitors like NBC News and CBS News have launched content offerings that can be found everywhere from Amazon’s Fire portal to YouTube.
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