Although entertainment companies pay millions of dollars to their executives to chart a path forward, streamers sometimes throw their hands up and ask their subscribers which direction to move next. Peacock tried this in 2022. Now, Max is asking its audience whether it should invest more in news.
The Streamable got access to a survey that Max sent to its “Insiders” group. In one question, Max asked, “Thinking about news specifically, how often would you say you engage with each of the following types of news content in the past 2 months, on any TV channel, platform or device?”
Respondents marked the frequency they interacted with podcasts, national broadcast networks’ news (such as ABC News, CBS News, or NBC News), short-form clips from news channels on YouTube (e.g., ABC News, CNN, Fox News, BBC), national and local newspapers in print, local television news, social media or networking sites or blogs, aggregator news sites (such as Apple News, Google News, MSN, or Yahoo News), or citizen journalism / videos posted as news on social (e.g., TikTok. Instagram, etc.) or YouTube.
Strangely, the survey asked which news brands subscribers would like to see on Max: NBC News, MSNBC, Huff Post, Washington Post, Yahoo News, New York Times, PBS, CNN, Fox News, BBC News, ABC News, NPR, Wall Street Journal, CBS News or Politico.
It’s unusual Max would ask a question like that since many of the listed names are direct competitors to Warner-owned CNN. If MSNBC or NBC want to stream their news, corporate cousin Peacock is the outlet for that. ABC News has Hulu. PBS has its own free app.
Drilling down on the CNN brand, the survey asked which content subscribers might want to see on Max:
- The same 24-hour CNN channel that’s on cable but streamable across devices
- Exclusive live news shows not on the 24-hour CNN cable channel
- Exclusive coverage of events not on the 24-hour CNN cable channel
- Non-fiction series and documentary films from the CNN cable channel available to stream on-demand
- Exclusive non-fiction series and documentary films from CNN that are not available on the CNN cable channel
- Articles and video clips from the CNN website
- Exclusive articles and video clips that are not available on the CNN website
- Podcasts
- An interactive community for fans to engage with newsmakers, experts, and CNN anchors
- Has news coverage that is entertaining
The survey also asked the audience to rate several high-profile news anchors on watchability, and you can imagine how thrilled the journalists are to hear the results of that ranking.
You may remember that a pre-merger Warner Bros. launched a news service called CNN+ in 2022. The company killed the streamer less than a month after its debut, a colossal mistake considering the company had just signed talent like Chris Wallace and Audie Cornish.
The most perplexing thing about CNN+ was that it did not include a 24/7 live feed of linear CNN. The audience chose not to embrace the few titles that were available, including a parenting show with Anderson Cooper and cheap documentaries about famous people.
In recent months, WBD has shown a willingness to shove away from the linear model even more aggressively. The B/R Sports section on Max offers the live events previously only available on TBS and TNT. WBD is also one of the participants in the upcoming Venu Sports, merging its live sports lineup with those from Disney and Fox.
Those moves aren’t sitting well with live TV providers who have to pay a hefty premium to carry the sports-heavy channels. Fubo decided to take a full-on war posture after the Venu announcement, dumping 19 Discovery-affiliated channels in April. You can imagine these providers aren’t wild about paying a premium for content that is available cheaper on another platform. If the linear CNN option leaves traditional cable and live streaming, it would further inflame carriage disputes.
It’s unclear how much Max will lean on CNN to bolster its content library. Max already includes some programs from CNN, but we have no transparency on its viewership. While news is a “nice to have” perk, it’s likely not the reason someone signs up for a streamer. If Max wants more subscribers, it needs to invigorate its content pipeline to hook viewers with stories like “The Last of Us,” “Euphoria,” and “House of the Dragon.” Those shows aren’t easy to replicate, but they would drive a lot more traffic than the lazy “panel of talking heads” that eats up so much of CNN’s airtime these days.
Max
Max is a subscription video streaming service that gives access to the full HBO library, along with 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. Thanks to the B/R Sports add-on, users can watch NBA, MLB, NHL, March Madness, and NASCAR events.