CNN Plus Streaming Service to Launch on March 29
The start of the new service could come just ahead of CNN parent WarnerMedia's merger with Discovery.
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CNN Plus will launch later this month.
Cable news service CNN said Friday that it will launch its CNN Plus streaming service on March 29.
The kickoff could come just ahead of the planned closure of a deal to merge CNN parent company WarnerMedia and Discovery, which will put new leaders at its helm.
Andrew Morse, who will lead the new service, said CNN Plus "will be a critical part" of CNN's future. But the future shape of all Discovery and WarnerMedia's streaming services, CNN Plus included, is unclear. The deal to combine with Discovery, first announced in May last year and expected to close in April, is designed to create a new media heavyweight, with a focus on streaming as the future of TV.
Also Friday, Discovery shareholders voted in favor of the merger.
Plans to launch CNN Plus were announced in July. CNN said Friday that it will be available in the US for $6 per month or $60 per year. People who sign up directly through CNN in the first four weeks will be able to get 50% off the monthly plan for as long as they remain subscribers.
The service won't unlock access to any of CNN's traditional channels, but will have its own live, on-demand and interactive programming, including eight to 12 hours of live news daily at launch. It also plans a social element to the subscription, described as a "community component" that lets subscribers "connect directly with anchors and experts" in live conversations.
CNN Plus will also have a deep library of past CNN programming, like seasons of shows such as Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown, Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy, This is Life with Lisa Ling and United Shades of America with W. Kamau Bell.
A single app will offer access to both CNN Plus and the company's traditional TV content from its CNN, CNN International and HLN channels.