Max is giving streaming CNN another try
Warner Bros. Discovery's last attempt at a streaming news platform—CNN Plus—shut down after only one month
At this point, over a decade into the so-called Streaming Wars, the idea that cord-cutting is just a way to spend more money on a mess of platforms, bundles, tiers, password rules, and disappearing content has been repeated to the point of cliché. But as the old guard continues to die a slow, protracted death, one mega-streamer is edging ever closer to what seems to be the landscape’s final form. The prophecy was correct all along: it’s just cable, only with a slightly sleeker interface.
Max, the Frankenstein’s monster of streaming platforms, is adding yet another previously dead limb to its already gargantuan body of content. You may not remember—it didn’t even last as long as Quibi—but back in April 2022, the then newly-merged Warner Bros. Discovery announced that they would be shuttering their stand-alone news streaming service CNN+ barely a month after it was launched.
Now, the company is trying it all over again—with a twist! Starting September 27, 24/7 news coverage will be available at no extra cost to all Max subscribers on the same platform as everything else. Per The Hollywood Reporter, the service has been deemed CNN Max (a tiny slap in the face to fans of the late, great HBO Max name) and will apparently include “programming specifically built for the Max streaming audience like CNN Newsroom with Jim Acosta, Rahel Solomon, Amara Walker and Fredricka Whitfield and CNN Newsroom with Jim Sciutto.” Established series like Amanpour, Anderson Cooper 360, The Lead with Jake Tapper, and The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer will also be available.
“This provides even more quality choices for Max customers who will be able to easily catch up on what is happening in the world, particularly in moments of breaking news, all within one seamless experience,” said JB Perrette, CEO and President of Global Streaming and Games for the company in a statement. Warner Bros. Discovery is likely crossing its fingers and toes right now that this is actually true—CNN+ was a very costly misfire.