The CNN building in Atlanta, Georgia, on Monday, May 17, 2021.
Elijah Nouvelage | Bloomberg | Getty Images
CNN is trying again at a full-service streaming subscription.
The news network, owned by Warner Bros. Discovery, announced Thursday its “All Access” subscription will launch in the U.S. on October 28 and cost $6.99 per month or $69.99 annually.
The new plan is pitched as a centralized hub for CNN’s journalism and includes access to live and on-demand U.S. and international video programming, CNN.com articles and subscriber-only content across all platforms. To attract early adopters, the company is offering a limited-time annual subscription for $41.99 for those who sign up by January 5.
“No one covers the world like CNN,” said Alex MacCallum, executive vice president of digital products and services at CNN Worldwide, in a release. “This is an essential step in CNN’s evolution, providing a comprehensive experience that meets how audiences consume news today.”
The All Access plan builds on CNN’s existing digital subscription, now rebranded as the Basic tier. Originally launched in 2024, the Basic plan includes unlimited access to CNN articles and select subscriber features, but excludes video content.
The news company has toyed with the idea of different subscription options for years.
CNN+, a subscription service that offered a mix of live news, on-demand programs and unique original series, was canned just a month after its launch in March 2022. The closure was partly the result of the merger between Warner Bros. and Discover in April 2022 and amid disappointing subscription numbers and internal challenges at CNN.
Warner Bros. Discovery is undergoing a shakeup of its own. The media giant announced in June that it plans to split into two public companies by 2026. The streaming and studios company will include its movie properties and HBO Max, and a global networks company will include CNN among other businesses.
At the same time, Paramount Skydance has been eyeing a takeover of WBD prior to a possible spin.
