LEAD STORY
Trouble Already At CNN Plus
A few weeks into its existence CNN Plus is hitting some major turbulence as reports emerged that the streaming service is bringing in less than 10,000 viewers a day.
Those are very disappointing numbers, which have allegedly led to buyers remorse from one of its anchors, Chris Wallace, who wants to be taken off the streamer and put on the main linear channel.
To make matters worse, the new regime at the newly created Warner Bros. Discovery has hinted that it wants to trim the fat at CNN Plus. CNN has spent around $300 million on CNN Plus, and the new management is already ready to scale its operations down.
This performance has to be very discouraging and worrisome for the newly employed staff who have been reading a steady flow of bad news this week. But it’s not their fault that they are now in such a precarious situation.
CNN Plus was conceived by former CNN president Jeff Zucker, who was trying to steer the media organization into this new streaming age. The network spent a lot on hiring talent, programming, facilities, and marketing the service.
They may have thought that the star power of its news anchors coupled with unique programming would propel people to subscribe to the streaming service, but that hasn’t been the case so far.
CNN’s star power is its breaking news coverage and the rolling coverage that comes along with it. CNN Plus is not live 24 hours a day. What happens when breaking news happens outside its broadcast windows? Its subscribers are screwed from that vantage point.
CNN created “CNN Lite” when it launched CNN Plus when it should have taken this opportunity to create something different. Streaming news is not a new thing for CNN, as it did have a live news component with news anchors on its website many years back, but it shut that down.
You could also watch uninterrupted live feeds of major news stories on its website, but that was also eliminated.
What CNN was doing with its previous streaming strategy could have been the starting point for CNN Plus; whereas its linear channels are constrained by time and ad blocks, CNN Plus is not.
CNN Plus could have been used to offer additional live coverage when CNN drops out of coverage, and/or it could have been made to run like the old school Headline News network with a rolling news wheel format.
The streaming service could have been used as the place where they could have experimented with a news and programming strategy that could appeal to cord-cutters and the upcoming generations.
News is not a unique commodity, so it’s very hard, especially in this day and age, to get people to believe that they should be paying for a service that’s already being provided for free by one of CNN’s competitors.
It’s anyone's guess as to what incoming CNN president, Chris Licht, will do with CNN Plus. It doesn’t seem like it will be completely shut down, but one can expect a significant retooling.
(CNBC, MixDex, Axios, Justin Baragona/Twitter)
RECAP
Amazon’s IMDbTV Switches Name To Freevee
Amazon is changing the name of one of its streaming services, and the new name may seem peculiar at first glance, but that peculiarity may work in its favor. IMDbTV is a free, ad-supported video-on-demand (AVOD) streaming service that will soon be known as Freevee or Amazon Freevee. Why does the name change work? Well, it’s because not only does it roll off the tongue much easier than other free AVOD streaming services like Pluto TV or Fubo TV, the name itself implies that the service will be a place for Free TV, unlike Amazon’s other streaming service Prime Video. When the service launched in 2019, it was known as Freedive before Amazon changed it to IMDb TV. The new name change will take place on April 27. (IndieWire)
Apple TV Plus Interested in adding MLS
The sports bug seems to have bit Apple TV Plus big time — after acquiring the rights to air some MLB games, the streaming service is now setting its sights on acquiring a portion of the MLS media rights package. The US-based soccer league is looking for new media partners beginning in 2023, and AppleTV Plus could be one of them. The MLS doesn’t have any exclusive streaming relations, and so by aligning with AppleTV Plus, they could be testing the waters to see how best they can execute it. Currently, the MLS’ U.S. media rights are shared between ESPN, Fox Sports, and Univision. ESPN and Univision are looking to retain or expand their media rights, and joining them in the bidding wars could be Turner Sports, which recently acquired the media rights to the men’s and women’s U.S. National Soccer teams’ games. (The Streamable)
Lack of COVID-19 Vaccinations Show Up Amongst Announcers
With the new MLB season now in full swing, some broadcasters have had to adjust to their in-game crew due to a lack of COVID-19 vaccinations. The MLB had to let former Atlanta Braves player John Smoltz go after he refused to get vaccinated. Smoltz will still be working for Fox Sports, though. Also unvaccinated is Paul O’Neill, an on-air analyst for the Yes Network. O’Neill is part of the team that calls the New York Yankees games, and he is fortunate that he is still able to take part in calling those games, but he is doing it remotely from his home base in Ohio. How long this arrangement shall last is still to be determined. The lack of getting the COVID-19 vaccine also showed up in the cable news world as it was revealed that Fox News Tucker Carlson is still unvaccinated. (New York Post, Daily Beast)
QUICK RECAP
NBC Sports names Melissa Stark sideline reporter for Sunday Night Football. (New York Post)
Leigh Ann Caldwell moves from NBC News to The Washington Post. (Variety)
Chris Mason is BBC News’ new political editor. (BBC Media Centre)
Emily Feingold was promoted to VP of communications, overseeing US and Canada at Netflix. (Variety)
Tiffany Sam Chow is moving from CNBC to NBCUniversal. (Talking Biz News)
Maria Shares was promoted to senior vice president, production and content strategy at ESPN. (ESPN Press Room)
As it struggles to grow, should Netflix change its tactics? (The Guardian)
Gus Johnson to call some NBA playoff games on TNT. (Sports Media Watch)
The mini-feud between White Press Secretary Jen Psaki and Fox News’ Steve Doocy. (Mediaite)
Fox Sports and Big Ten to sign new deal agreement. (Sports Business Journal)
CNNers helping each other - reporter Richard Ross receives a kidney from Samira Jafari, CNN’s deputy manager of its investigation unit. (CNN Business)
How Russian media is using Fox News to its advantage. (New York Times)
MLB has renewed its partnership with YouTube. (Sports Media Watch)
Fox Sports releases its FIFA World Cup schedule. (Deadline)
ESPN to air Joe Paterno documentary on Monday, April 18. (ESPN Press Room)
NBA’s female TV viewership ticks up. (Front Office Sports)
Turner Sports should name Kevin Harlan as Marv Albert’s successor for its NBA coverage. (Sports Illustrated)
Former CBS This Morning anchor Charlie Rose resurfaces. (Associated Press)
ABC News celebrates 20 years of Robin Roberts anchoring Good Morning America. (TVNewser)
Warner Bros. Discovery chief David Zaslav holds his first town hall hosted by Oprah Winfrey. (The Hollywood Reporter)
Amazon has serious intentions and inventions for its Prime Video streaming service. (The Streamable)
Newsmax wants to be known as more than a Trump channel. (Forbes)
Fox Corp’s LGBTQ employees are upset with Fox News’ Don’t Say Bill coverage. (Daily Beast)
NESN adds a broadcast studio at the Red Sox’s Fenway Park in Boston. (NewscastStudio)
Apple’s streaming service strategy may be a winning move. (NextTV)
Various news networks earn Peabody nominations. (TVNewser)
ESPN is using ESPN Plus to lure talent. (Awful Announcing)
ESPN, NBC News and MSNBC, CBS News, PBS, and CNN win Gracies. (All Women In Media)
NFL conducts a Broadcast Bootcamp for NFL players. (New York Times)
How Hulu + Live TV’s unlimited DVR compares with the others. (The Streamable)
Discovery Plus is now available on the Roku Channel. (The Streamable)
PDF inks a rights deal with ESPN Africa. (Awful Announcing)
National Geographic and Disney Plus to bundle up. (The Hollywood Reporter)
Netflix may end up running ads. (MediaPost)
Fox Weather adds mobile weather trucks to cover the elements. (NewscastStudio)
Apple TV Plus’ strikes out on its MLB debut. (Fast Company)
NBA increases its viewership by 19% as it celebrates its 75th anniversary. (Front Office Sports)
FIFA is launching FIFA Plus soccer-specific streaming service. (NewscastStudio)
CNN’s Anderson Cooper tests positive for COVID-19. (Deadline)
Rachel Maddow returns to MSNBC but will move to host her show weekly. (Variety)
How MSNBC used Telemundo’s Miami studio for Katie Phang’s new show. (NewscastStudio)
The Weather Channel is the most trusted news service in America? (MixDex)
How did Warner Bros. Discovery’s first official day go? (Business Insider $$$)
Bill Simmons and Mina Kimes may call baseball games on Apple TV Plus. (Awful Announcing)
ESPN’s YouTube network is performing very well so far this year. (ESPN PR/Twitter)
Fox Weather announces a meteorology scholarship. (Broadcasting+Cable)
Fox Sports is planning to use a “glowing” during its USFL football games. (Front Office Sports)
Whoopi Goldberg is taking some time off from ABC News’ The View. (TVNewser)
Netflix adds the “2 Thumbs Up” feature to its user ratings. (The Streamable)
Check out Turner Sport’s new MLB on TBS studio. (NewscastStudio)
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A MarkHenry Media LLC publication - Issue #86 - 2022