CNN has set the details for its forthcoming premium subscription offering, which will include live streaming video and access to the news division’s library of video content, alongside complete access to CNN’s digital products.
CNN launched a digital paywall a year ago for much of its digital content, and that paywall is now being branded as the Basic tier. Joining it will be a new All Access tier, priced at $6.99 per month or $69.99 per year. The company is launching a promotion at launch, offering one year for $41.99.
The new premium tier will include “a selection of CNN’s live US and International programming,” as well as access to the full library of CNN Originals and documentary programming. There will also be exclusive live and on-demand programming.
Related Stories
The company says it will reveal the full slate of programming at a later date, though reading between the lines, it suggests that it will not include full access to CNN’s live feed of news shows.
The launch of the service has been in the works for months, with CNN CEO Mark Thompson revealing the plans to staff in January.
CNN previously said that it would pull its live programming and much of its library content from HBO Max in November.
“No one covers the world like CNN. With this new subscription offering, our audience will now have access to the best of CNN across platforms, including multiple live stream channels, our signature video-led journalism and all articles on CNN.com and in the mobile app,” said Alex MacCallum, executive vp, digital products and services, CNN Worldwide, in a statement. “It’s an essential step in CNN’s evolution as we work to give audiences the complete CNN experience in a format that reflects how audiences engage with the news today.”
The new CNN All Access subscription is the cable news channel’s second major direct-to-consumer bet, following the short-lived CNN+ product. CNN+ was shut down less than a month after launch, with Warner Bros. Discovery shifting its strategy for the division away from direct-to-consumer and towards a bundle within HBO Max.
The new offering is pricier than CNN+, which carried a $5.99 per month price tag (there was also a launch discount), but also includes substantially more digital content, including interactive features and written reporting.
Thompson has said he wants to create a more fully-fleshed out subscription offering that includes a wide range of content, albeit centered around CNN’s live video news reporting.
