Apps
CNN+ has terrible viewership two weeks into the app’s launch
The app has less than 10,000 daily active viewers.
Just a heads up, if you buy something through our links, we may get a small share of the sale. It’s one of the ways we keep the lights on here. Click here for more.
UPDATE 4/22/2022 9:43 AM ET: CNN+ is shutting down only a month after it launched. The streaming service will officially shut down entirely on April 30. The original story follows below.
CNN launched its news streaming service, CNN+, last week, and it hasn’t gained much traction quite yet. Recent reports claim that the app is seeing fewer than 10,000 viewers per day, a minuscule fraction of the daily viewers that the CNN cable channel gets.
A recent report from CNBC shared the disappointing numbers earlier this week. The sub-10,000 daily viewer number is a drop in the hat compared to what CNN is used to. For reference, the CNN cable channel averages around 775,000 daily viewers.
So why has CNN+ failed to catch on so far? It’s surely not because the monthly price is too high. The original price is $5.99 per month and the platform is running an early bird promotion that offers a half-price subscription for life.
And there has certainly been plenty of advertising for the service. I can barely turn my head online without seeing another banner ad for CNN+. So what’s the problem?
If I had to speculate, I’d guess that people are already satisfied with the amount of news they see. And most people don’t like the idea of paying a subscription fee for access to more. Why pay $6 a month for something that you can see for free online?
Sure, CNN+ also offers original, on-demand content. But does any of it compete with the already established entertainment streaming platforms, like Disney+, Netflix, and HBO Max? It certainly doesn’t look like it.
Of course, it’s still very early for CNN+. And CNN’s parent company, WarnerMedia, recently merged with Discovery, so there’s still plenty of potential for the service to change directions and rework its content into a more favorable service.
But time is of the essence, and it won’t be too long before people completely forget about CNN+ like what happened to its other fallen comrade, Quibi.
Have any thoughts on this? Let us know down below in the comments or carry the discussion over to our Twitter or Facebook.
Editors’ Recommendations:
- You can now ‘Two Thumbs Up’ shows on Netflix
- Apple TV Plus becomes first streaming service to win Best Picture at the Oscars
- HBO abandons Amazon Prime Video Channels
- Peacock is finally strutting its way onto Amazon’s Fire TV
Follow us on Flipboard, Google News, or Apple News
