CNN+ Streaming Service Confirmed to Launch This Spring in US: Price, What to Expect

Cable news network CNN said on Wednesday it will launch a news and entertainment streaming service called CNN+ this spring in the US, at an initial discounted subscription price of $2.99 (roughly Rs. 225) a month.

Taking on familiar rivals in the highly competitive world of streamed content, CNN will offer the promotional price to those who sign up within the first four weeks in the US. Once the deal ends, the service will revert to a $5.99 (roughly Rs. 450) monthly fee — the same price as the Fox Nation, the streaming service operated by Fox's Fox News in the US.

The unit of AT&T's WarnerMedia division has invested a reported $120 million (roughly Rs. 907 crore) and recruited top talent for the new service, including Fox News veteran Chris Wallace, former NPR "All Things Considered" co-host Audie Cornish and Alison Roman, an Instagram personality and author of a popular cooking newsletter.

CNN+ in the US will feature live daily news programming, original series, true crime shows and food and travel, CNN said.

The service is poised to launch following recent period of tumult at the cable news network, whose high profile leader, Jeff Zucker, was forced to leave on February 2 after failing to disclose a romantic relationship with a colleague, Allison Gollust.

The Los Angeles Times was the first to report the pricing and the timing of the debut, which is expected in the last week of March in the US. CNN declined to provide a date beyond previous remarks saying the service is expected to launch in the first quarter.

A veteran television executive, Chris Licht, has been named the new CNN Global chairman and will assume those responsibilities when Discovery completes its $43 billion (roughly Rs. 3,47,995 crore) acquisition of WarnerMedia. The deal is expected to close this spring.

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