Officially GoneINTERNET & TECH

CNN+

CNN spent hundreds of millions on a subscription future, launched it days before a corporate merger, and shut it after only weeks when the new owner rejected the strategy.

HOW CLOSE TO REALITY100/100
CATEGORYInternet & Tech
LIFECYCLE2022
00

Quick facts

Existence state
Officially Gone
Peak stage
general availability
Research confidence
high
Last verified
01

What it was

A formally launched subscription streaming news service operated by CNN.

CNN+ mixed interviews, personality-led programmes, documentaries and interactive features outside the cable channel's live feed.

02

Existence timeline

Service announced

CNN presents a paid direct-to-consumer expansion.

Programming commissioned

Hosts, shows and a large catalogue enter production.

CNN+ launches

The service reaches normal paid availability.

Corporate merger closes

Discovery assumes control of WarnerMedia and CNN.

Shutdown announced

New management rejects the standalone strategy.

Service closes

Applications and subscriptions stop after thirty days.

03

Why it ended

Warner Bros. Discovery announced closure on 21 April 2022 and ended the service on 28 April, less than a month after launch.

04

Last confirmed trace

Archived pages, application captures, schedules and redistributed programme clips preserve the brief service.
05

What it left behind

Its 30-day lifespan became an extreme example of a complete product erased by ownership timing rather than gradual audience decline.

06

How we classified it

The archive unit reached normal public release or operation and is no longer obtainable in its original public form.

Verified normal public availability maps to 100 under Arrival Score V1.

07

Sources & verification

Last reviewed 2026-08-01. Sources are linked so readers can inspect the evidence directly.

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