CNN is always quick to label CNN+ as “highly anticipated.” However, it seems that former CNN President Jeff Zucker’s big plans for the service have fizzled following his resignation. Highlighted in its FAQ section, CNN+ will only be an add-on to the CNN app.
It is also stated that CNN+ will not offer a live stream of the network feed to standalone streaming subscribers due to agreements with pay-TV providers that limit this type of offering. However, users of these types of services can still log in and watch a stream of the network.
To put it simply, viewers can access the CNN TV content that will be fully integrated within CNN’s app, in addition to the ability to watch live CNN (and their other news channels) with a TV Everywhere subscription. The CNN+ is basically just an upgrade for people who are willing to pay an expected $5.99/month for streaming content from the brand.
Oh, and one other thing. At the launch of CNN+, the CNNgo brand will sunset for users on desktop, mobile, and several streaming platforms and devices.
In early January, there was a report that a lot of people may have missed. CNN silently removed the CNNgo app from several Apple TV models worldwide. The network mostly ended support for the 3rd Gen and earlier models. In May 2020, HBO pulled the plug on its HBO Now app from older Apple TVs as well.
Soon after, Chromecast users reported that the CNNgo app on Google TV had stopped working for them. Clearly, this was foreshadowing for what is to come: CNNgo, the eight-year-old app, is being phased out for good.
In July 2019, ESPN officially killed off WatchESPN, migrating its content over to the ESPN app. Launched in 2011, WatchESPN was one of the industry’s first “TV Everywhere” apps. They also never launched a standalone ESPN+ App, instead embedding it as a subscription inside the ESPN App. They also began including their ESPN Insider written content for ESPN+ subscribers, something that CNN could consider.
Similar to HBO and ESPN with their apps, CNN seems to be following a strategy that puts their standalone TV Everywhere App to the sidelines – and bringing their subscription and TV Everywhere products into the same app.
Related: Everything We Know About CNN+ So Far - Launch Date, Subscription Price, Programming, and More
CNN+
CNN+ was a subscription streaming service that included 12 hours of live news and on-demand access to shows like “Parental Guidance with Anderson Cooper,” “5 Things with Kate Bolduan,” “Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown,” and “Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy.” The service features journalists like Chris Wallace and Audie Cornish.