Warner Discovery is shutting down CNN’s streaming service less than a month after launch

Just weeks after the completion of the merger that created Warner Bros. Discovery, new management is pulling the plug on CNN’s streaming service.

CNN staffers were informed Thursday that CNN+, which launched on March 29, will be shut down on April 30 according to a memo from incoming CNN President Chris Licht obtained by the Times.

“This decision is in line with WBD’s broader direct-to-consumer strategy,” Licht said. “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.”

Licht added that the decision was not a judgment on the content of the service. He said some of the programming and on-air talent hired will be absorbed into the company’s other networks.

“The process for making those decisions is already underway and we will communicate to those affected as quickly as possible,” Licht said.

CNN+ launched with major fanfare and a promotional blitz, hiring a number of well known names including Chris Wallace from Fox News and Audie Cornish from NPR. Presumably they will be joining the TV side.

But with 400 employees hired for the endeavor, there are likely to be cuts.

Even in the weeks before launch, there was talk that executives from the lean, budget conscious culture of Discovery were apparently unhappy with the amount of resources being put against CNN+, said to be $120 million in 2021, and hundreds of millions set for this year.

But Discovery and WarnerMedia’s previous owner AT&T kept arms length from each other until the completion of the merger. WarnerMedia and CNN executives pushed ahead with their plans to develop the service.

More to come.