CNN+, the streaming service that was hyped as one of the most significant developments in the history of CNN (hyped *by* CNN. No one else - ed.), will shut down on April 30, just one month after it launched.
CNN+ customers "will receive prorated refunds of subscription fees," the company said. The decision was made by new management after CNN's former parent company, WarnerMedia, merged with Discovery to form Warner Bros. Discovery earlier this month.
The prior management team's vision for CNN+ runs counter to Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav's plan to house all of the company's brands under one streaming service. Some CNN+ programming may eventually live on through that service. Other programming will shift to CNN's main television network.
Well, maybe the comparison to Chevy Chase's ill-fated foray into late night talk was a bit unfair....to Chase that is. He at least squeezed six weeks outta his venture.
Speaking of catastrophes.....
didn’t think i’d live long enough to see something replace new coke as a byword for business disasters
— Allahpundit (@allahpundit) April 21, 2022
This is a solid take given that New Coke lasted 2-1/2 months before the original formula (relabeled as Coca-Cola Classic) was brought back.
In all seriousness, I probably shouldn't be dancing on the proverbial grave of the CNN+ debacle. After all, there are working stiffs (i.e. production workers, stage hands, etc.) who are now out of a job whereas the highly paid on-camera talent can better navigate employment interruptions.
In his National Review piece last week, Charles C.W. Cooke pointed out the obvious reasons why a ratings deficient network couldn't make a go of it in the streaming genre.
.....CNN will limp on as it has before — devoid of purpose, bereft of understanding, confused by its situation, blinded by hubris, the last man in the room to realize that he is slowly destroying himself. The harsh truth is that CNN needs to go back to basics. It doesn’t need a plus, but a series of minuses — minus the sanctimony, minus the bias, minus the self-rationalization, minus the witless caricaturing of its rivals.
Not everyone remembers this, but, once upon a time, one of those “N”s stood for “News,” you know.
Oh, I remember. Their coverage of the Gulf War back in the early '90s was top notch, especially the journos who were reporting from a hotel in Baghdad, Iraq while cruise missiles flew by their location. Today, their top evening programming consistently riffs on the reporting of a rival network. A stunning descent indeed.
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