CNN officially has a new digital channel with the launch of CNN+. 

“We are going to be the only global video-driven news subscription business,” Andrew Morse, CNN chief digital officer and head of CNN+, said this week during the unveiling of the subscription streaming service that combines live news coverage, on-demand programming and interactive interviews.

Through this new streaming platform, CNN seeks to establish more intimate relationships with news viewers, just as Netflix and other companies have done with entertainment.

With the hiring of hundreds of people and the development of several segments of content for CNN +, the news giant is beginning to consolidate, according to analysts, as the most ambitious news transmission company in the United States.

Sign up for #CNNPlus today and get 50% off your subscription (for life) https://t.co/XjOaTvyOQq.

Launch offer: $2.99/month (standard price $5.99/month). One offer per customer. Cancel anytime. Limited time offer ends 4/26/22. pic.twitter.com/GLMkrDuL3D

— CNN+ (@CNNplus) March 29, 2022

“Because we're not doing one set linear feed, we can do a show that allows people to get up to speed in the morning. If that should be five minutes one day, 15 minutes the next day, we have the flexibility to be able to make the shows as long or as short as they need to be to fulfill whatever the customer need is,” Alex MacCallum, CNN head of product and CNN+ general manager, said.

The Schedule Grid

Weekly products produced by CNN+ will feature established network figures such as Anderson Cooper, while introducing newcomers such as Audie Cornish and Scott Galloway.

Likewise, one of CNN's most successful series, "Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown,” which could be accessed through other platforms, will now be available exclusively on its streaming system, along with its acclaimed documentaries and specials.

With programming that includes eight daily news and talk shows, which will be presented both live and on demand, CNN managers invite their users to live and think about news coverage in a different way.

More than 10 new shows will premiere during the week, including "The Don Lemon Show" and "Jake Tapper's Book Club."

Although it was announced that CNN+ may be included in a special package at a later date, it is initially presented as a stand-alone product priced at $5.99 per month.

Digital Interaction

One of the most striking segments of this new platform is the Interview Club, an interactive component that subscribers can access to ask questions.

“Interview Club will let subscribers submit questions that moderators will share with expert guests. It was built from the ground up, from whiteboard all the way to product,” said Robyn Peterson, CNN chief technology officer, who also added that "an immense amount of work has taken place behind the scenes to create a streaming platform that can eventually expand around the world.”

How is it Different from Other News Services?

While the big news companies (ABC, NBC and CBS) have free transmission channels, with less content and in which advertising is included, CNN+ makes an ambitious commitment to work on information transmitted in video format and the creation of new digital content aimed at their specific audiences.

“CNN+ is distinct from all of those. Still, the service faces headwinds, including looming management changes and outside skepticism about the service's prospects,” the company pointed out, also indicating that the exact launch date has not been determined while waiting for WarnerMedia, the firm that owns CNN, to merge with Discovery.

Peterson also pointed out:

CNN+ will be available on a key set of devices at launch — on the web, mobile and connected TV sets — and will expand to new devices in the months ahead.

“Nothing will change about the current CNN experience on TV or on CNN Digital. Anchors will continue helming their existing shows, available via cable and satellite, and reporters will continue publishing stories on CNN.com, the free ad-supported website,” CNN highlighted while noting that “CNN+ is something different -- partly out of necessity and partly out of creativity.”