In a statement released this afternoon, Discovery, the parent company of CNN, announced that the premium streaming service known as CNN+ will be discontinued at the end of April. As Rush Limbaugh might say, “For those of you in Rio Linda, that’s next week.”
The decision to pull the plug on the service after only one month comes after its much-ballyhooed launch and widely publicized disastrous implementation. Subscriptions to the service were paltry which shouldn’t have come as a surprise considering that the ratings for the free version of CNN have been plummeting. Why executives at the network thought there would be significant interest in folks paying for something they didn’t want when it was free is still unclear.
An upbeat statement from Discovery executive J.B. Perrette included the following:
“In a complex streaming market, consumers want simplicity and an all-in service which provides a better experience and more value than stand-alone offerings, and, for the company, a more sustainable business model to drive our future investments in great journalism and storytelling.”
“We have very exciting opportunities ahead in the streaming space and CNN, one of the world’s premier reputational assets, will play an important role there.”
Way to try to put lipstick on that pig, J.B.
Incoming CNN CEO Chris Licht was more sober and blunt with his comments, calling it a “uniquely shitty situation.” Licht then recognized the hardships that hundreds of subsequent layoffs will cause, stating:
“All CNN+ employees will continue to be paid and receive benefits for the next 90 days to explore opportunities at CNN, CNN Digital and elsewhere in the Warner Bros. Discovery family.”
It’s hard not to feel sorry for the employees that will be out on the street shortly, but CNN itself had it coming. Their complete commitment to far-left ideology, their blind allegiance to the Democratic Party, and their total disregard for journalistic integrity have made the network almost impossible to watch. They have no credibility. Let’s hope the failure of CNN+ serves as a somber wake-up call to their leadership and a return to real journalism.
By Jordan Case
Jordan Case offers opinions from the unique perspective of both entrepreneur and parent and is a regular contributor to The Blue State Conservative. Jordan does not participate in the cesspool of social media.
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This story syndicated with permission from The Blue State Conservative