The CNN+ streaming platform closes a couple of weeks after being launched

This has not been a week of good news for streaming platforms. First it was the fall of Netflix due to the bleeding of subscribers and now the announcement that CNN + will stop operating as of April 30. The platform was launched just a month ago and although the company had high hopes for the service, it will cease to operate due to the recent merger between WarnerMedia and Discovery .

The service was developed by Warner Bros. before news of the merger became public and offered a subscription for users to access news content, movies and original series. In a press release on February 23, Andrew Morse, executive vice president of CNN, chief digital officer and director of CNN+ explained that there was nothing similar in the market “and no one but CNN could create the type of product that we are going to offer. CNN+ will deliver world-class journalism, premium storytelling, intelligent perspectives on the news and an interactive community for passionate news junkies. At the heart of CNN+ will be our team of anchors, reporters and personalities, and the three red and white letters that mean so much to audiences around the world.”

The subscription to the service had a cost of $5.99 dollars and among the contents were Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown, Anderson Cooper Full Circle and 5 Things With Kate Bolduan.

The birth of Warner Bros. Discovery and the end of CNN+

On April 8, the merger between Warner Media (owned by AT&T) and Discovery Inc. was announced. The new media company, Warner Bros. Discovery, has in its catalog all the content of HBO, HBO Max, CNN, Warner Bros. , DC Films, New Line Cinema, Travel Channel, Animal Planet and Oprah Winfrey Network, among many others.

In a press release, JB Perrette , director of streaming for Discovery, explained the decision: “In a complex streaming market, consumers want simplicity and a comprehensive service that provides a better experience and more value than standalone offerings.” The executive explains that the idea is to merge all the services of the new company into a single application.

Current CNN+ subscribers will receive a refund.