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CNN+ struggles to attract viewers, attracts less than 10,000 daily users


People walk through the world headquarters of the Cable News Network (CNN) on March 15, 2022 in Atlanta, Georgia.

Anna Moneymaker | beautiful pictures

Fewer than 10,000 people are using CNN+ daily two weeks after it existed, according to people familiar with the matter.

These people spoke to CNBC on condition of anonymity to discuss the non-public data.

CNN+ launches March 29. The subscription news streaming service, which charges $5.99 a month or $59.99 annually, was only available on Roku on Monday and is not yet available on Android TELEVISION. However, the audience has little to say about the future of the app following the recently completed merger of Discovery and WarnerMedia on Discovery of Warner Bros..

To consider that number of daily users, CNN’s cable network suffered a sharp drop in viewership last year but is still growing. average total 773,000 viewers per day.

A CNN spokesperson said: “We continue to be thrilled with its launch and progress in just two weeks.

CNN has managed to create a big buzz with CNN+, attracting big-name talent from rival news networks, such as Kasie Hunt from NBC News and Chris Wallace from Fox News. But there’s still a lot of skepticism about whether there’s enough demand to sustain a standalone news streaming service, with entertainment-first options dominating the landscape. Disney+, for example, has posted more than 10 million subscribers on its first day.

CNN has not released the exact number of CNN+ subscribers. Disney’s ESPN+, which offers sports news programming in addition to live event broadcasts, recent report 21.3 million subscribers. NBCUniversal’s Peacock, which features news programming, reported 24.5 million monthly active accounts in the US, more than 9 million of which are paid members. (ESPN+ charges $6.99 a month, and Peacock offers premium tiers starting at $4.99 a month.)

The CEO of Warner Bros. Discovery, David Zaslav has not commented publicly on the long-term future of CNN+. He told CNBC in February that he needed to see how the app worked before deciding on any next move.

“I have not received a business review of what CNN+ will be and how it will be offered,” Zaslav said at the time.

It is possible, if unlikely, that CNN+ programming will be offered as part of a larger package than HBO Max and Discovery+, According to people familiar with the matter. Both of those services have millions of subscribers.

Ex-WarnerMedia CEO Jason Kilar decided to push the launch of CNN+ two weeks before merging the company with Discovery. Kilar left the company last week. He was upbeat about subscriber numbers in an interview with CNBC, but didn’t cite any figures.

“It’s far exceeded my expectations in terms of subscriber placement, engagement, reception we’ve gotten in terms of people’s reaction to CNN+ journalists,” Kilar to CNBC’s Julia Boorstin. “I couldn’t be more proud of that team.”

Axios reported earlier on Tuesday that the new management of Warner Bros. Discovery plans to cut hundreds of millions of dollars in investment for the service due to concerns about its future. Upcoming CNN director Chris Licht will join Warner Bros. Discovery on May 1 and will make a decision on how best to proceed, two of them said.

Disclosure: NBCUniversal is the parent company of CNBC.



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