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Warner Bros. Discovery
The Max streaming service is setting its sights on live programming.
Bloomberg reports that Warner Bros. Discovery Inc. is planning to add live news programming from CNN to the Max streaming platform in a bid to draw more subscribers.
According to sources familiar with the matter, CNN has already agreed to provide live news outside of the United States. But providing live news programming domestically could be difficult for the platform due to complications with cable providers, Bloomberg reports.
Warner Bros. Discovery has reportedly already begun troubleshooting airing live programming on Max.
The move may be key to increasing CNN’s viewership. Nielsen data showed CNN’s primetime ratings fell by 61 percent in March 2023, a dip that a source close to the matter credited to viewers cutting ties with cable networks and switching to streaming services instead.
This will not be CNN’s first foray into streaming. The network’s streaming platform CNN+, which did not include a live feed, shut down in April 2022 after less than a month of operation. CNN+ reportedly struggled to find its audience and had fewer than 10,000 paid users daily.
In contrast, CNN’s cable format reached 773,000 viewers a day, but the short-lived platform never had a chance to introduce a live feed because the CNN live channel is a cornerstone for cable packages.
Reports at the time of its shutdown noted that Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav was interested in hosting CNN+ content on Max.
Warner Bros. Discovery is planning to add live programming to Max later this year.
