CNN Plus, the streaming platform from the cable news giant, will debut in the US on March 29, the company said in a press release Friday. For early subscribers—those who sign up in the first four weeks after launch—the service will cost $2.99 per month, and they will lock in that price until they subscribe. The standard price will be $5.99 per month or $59.99 per year.
CNN unveiled plans for its streaming service last July and announced programming that includes daily versions of CNN’s weekly shows, brand new shows, and original series and movies. Subscribers will also have access to CNN’s content library. The company said it will continue to have one CNN app with a section for CNN Plus subscribers to access streaming content.
CNN’s parent company, WarnerMedia, is on the verge of completing a merger with Discovery, and the dust is still settling after the company went through a personnel reshuffle in recent months. Following the firing of host Chris Cuomo in December, longtime president Jeff Zucker resigned in February after failing to properly disclose a relationship with another company executive. Chris Licht, chief executive of CBS, was appointed to replace Zucker.
It’s unclear how Zucker’s departure will affect CNN Plus; when the cable company announced its new streamer, Zucker said he would “offer consumers a streaming product that expands the reach and scope of the CNN brand like no other.” Nothing like it exists.”