CNN Seeks Streaming Distributors Before CNN+ Launch

• CNN is seeking to secure more distribution deals before the launch of CNN+ in the US later this month.
• It already has deals with distributors like Apple and Roku but is aiming for more.
• The company does not seem to look towards Amazon on this matter, though.

CNN is looking to reserve distribution with more partners for its upcoming subscription-based CNN+ streaming service. It already has contracts with distributors like Apple and Roku but is aiming for more such deals before it launches. With originals, true crime shows, live daily news programming, food, and travel shows, CNN+ is all set to debut later this month, as the company will roll out the streaming service in the US on March 29, 2022.

During an interview with Bloomberg at the South by Southwest festival in Texas, CNN Digital chief Andrew Morse didn't bring up Amazon.com Inc., one of the world's largest streaming service distributors through its Fire devices. When WarnerMedia's streamer HBO Max was first launched, it was not distributed on Amazon, negatively impacting its growth. "We feel very confident we'll grow a healthy subscriber base very quickly," Morse said, adding that the company expects CNN+ to be profitable in a couple of years.

In addition to its existing on-air talents such as Wolf Blitzer, Don Lemon, Brian Stelter, and Anderson Cooper, it has also signed media personalities like Eva Longoria and Rex Chapman to host shows on the platform. According to Morse, CNN+ is the network's most ambitious and most expensive initiative to date. Its monthly subscription costs $5.99, and early-bird subscribers can get a special price with a "Deal of a Lifetime."

Morse further said that since CNN does not contest mainstream entertainment services, and none of its competitors in the news industry has the same resources, the company is in a "unique position." CNN has been struggling since it saw the exit of its president Jeff Zucker, who was forced to resign after failing to disclose an intimate relationship with co-worker Allison Gollust.

WarnerMedia is soon to close a merger deal with Discovery later this year. The combined company will own three streaming services - HBO Max, Discovery+, and CNN+.

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