CNN Max to stop streaming live news on HBO Max next month
CNN Max to stop streaming live news on HBO Max next month
CNN Max launched just over two years ago, but is shutting down as WBD preps to separate.
It has been really difficult for CNN in the streaming world since Warner Bros. Discovery took over the network in 2022. First, WBD abruptly shut down the fledgling CNN+ just one month after its launch, and now, the company has begun informing subscribers that the CNN Max hub on HBO Max will no longer carry any live news beginning on Monday, Nov. 17. The move is part of the plan for the news network to launch its own streaming service before the end of the year.
Key Details:
- Bad news: The CNN Max on HBO Max will cease streaming live news next month.
- Short-lived feature: The announcement comes just a little over two years after the hub first launched on the streaming platform.
- Breaking up is hard to do: While not confirmed to customers, the move is likely a part of the forthcoming division of Warner Bros. Discovery into two separate companies.
HBO Max (then known simply as Max) first launched an around-the-clock CNN hub in fall 2023. At the time, WBD said that CNN Max would “leverage CNN’s reporting excellence, global newsgathering, and live programming from CNN US, CNN International, and feature original programming built specifically for Max.”
While CNN Max did not include a livestream of cable CNN broadcasts, it did feature shows specifically created for the platform by some of the brand’s biggest names. In addition, CNN Max covers breaking news separately from the CNN cable channel. In addition, CNN Max features some of the cable channel’s cornerstone shows, including “Amanpour,” “Anderson Cooper 360,” “The Lead with Jake Tapper,” “The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer,” and more.
“CNN has benefitted tremendously from its two years of offering a live 24/7 feed of news to HBO Max customers,” CNN EVP Alex MacCallum said. “We learned from HBO Max’s large base of subscribers what people want and enjoy the most from CNN, and with the launch of our own new streaming subscription offering coming later this fall, we look forward to building off that and growing our audience with this unique, new offering.”
While the live news aspect of CNN Max is going away, the hub will continue to provide access to select CNN Originals, including award-winning documentaries and series, like “Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown,” “Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy,” and “The Whole Story with Anderson Cooper.” CNN Max does not require any additional payment and is available to anyone with an HBO Max subscription. You can sign up for the service for as little as $10 per month for the ad-supported version of the streamer.
While the move is directly tied to the forthcoming launch of CNN’s own streamer, WBD is also set to undergo a split between its own streaming and cable operations. Announced late last year, the company is breaking up into two separate entities, one focusing on streaming and movies, while the other will house the company’s linear channels, including CNN, Food Network, HGTV, Magnolia Network, TBS, and TNT, amongst others.
HBO Max
HBO Max is a subscription video streaming service that gives access to the full HBO library and exclusive Max Originals. There are hubs for content from TLC, HGTV, Food Network, Discovery, TCM, Cartoon Network, Travel Channel, ID, and more. Watch hit series like “The Last of Us,” “House of the Dragon,” “Succession,” “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” and more. Within HBO Max, B/R Sports allows users to watch live NBA, MLB, NHL, March Madness, and NASCAR events.