Have you received an offer to join CNN plus? I saw one yesterday but I decided to pass. Honestly, I've already got enough to see or listen to. And I don't watch CNN anyway.
CNN plus is off to a rough start according to news reports:
Fewer than 10,000 people are using CNN+ on a daily basis two weeks into its existence, according to people familiar with the matter.
The people spoke with CNBC on the condition of anonymity in order to discuss nonpublic data.
CNN+ launched on March 29. The subscription news streaming service, which charges $5.99 a month or $59.99 annually, only became available on Roku on Monday and still isn’t on Android TV. Still, the paltry audience casts doubt on the future of the application following the recently completed combination of Discovery and WarnerMedia into Warner Bros. Discovery.
To put that daily user number in perspective, CNN’s cable network suffered a sharp decline in viewership last year but still rang up an average of 773,000 total viewers a day.
“We continue to be happy with the launch and its progress after only two weeks,” a CNN spokesperson said.
CNN continues to be happy? Well, at least the CNN spokesperson has a positive attitude.
CNN has two problems and I don't think creating a "plus service" will change the brand much.
First, the network is so closely tied to Trump Derangement Syndrome that half of the country is beyond persuasion; and,
Second, the information or channel news business is just plain saturated. I honestly wouldn't have time to watch it even if I was willing to sign up. People are just exhausted and putting Chris Wallace on your promo brochure is not going to help a bit.
CNN plus is a bad idea specially at a time when trust in the media is so low and no one has an extra $ 60 because of the price of gasoline.
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