A streaming service intended to revitalise CNN is shutting just a few weeks after its launch.
CNN+ will cease operations on April 30 and customers will receive refunds for signing up to the news-led online channel, which was available in the US.
The service topped 100,000 subscribers in the first week after its March 29 launch. However, it was used by fewer than 10,000 people at any given time. It cost $5.99 (£4.60) per month, the same as competitor Fox News’s paid streaming service.
CNN+ offered a mix of lifestyle shows and traditional news, including a daily interview programme from Chris Wallace and a food and travel series by actress Eva Longoria.
Warner Bros Discovery, its parent company, said CNN content will be a key component of its streaming offerings going forward. The group is considering combining online offerings, which include HBO Max and Discovery+, into one subscription for viewers.
The company will now reassess its online strategy and cut costs following the $43bn merger of Discovery and WarnerBros, spun off AT&T, completed earlier this month. The combination is expected to deliver $3bn in savings.
Andrew Morse, who led CNN+, will leave after a transition period. CNN+ was championed internally by Jeff Zucker, the longtime media executive who stepped down in February.
The fiasco comes amid a tumultuous few years for CNN after it was repeatedly accused of anti-Republican bias by former US president Donald Trump.
When it was owned by AT&T, CNN spent hundreds of millions of dollars to program and market the product.
