The New Management at CNN May Have Already Begun Dismantling the Dysfunctional Network Apparatus

More signs are emerging that the new bosses are walking through CNN and pointing out what needs to go.

When the final steps were underway to complete the merger between Warner Media and the Discovery Networks, it became the classic matter of not-if-but-when changes would be experienced at the struggling news network CNN. That answer is coming to light – it is now. The much-needed changes at the iconic but faltering news outlet are already taking place, and they are being enacted swiftly.

Just yesterday, we covered how David Zaslav, the head of the newly formed merger, was targeting CNN for signific changes, particularly in the refocus on hard news. Now comes a report that the beleaguered CNN+ is already looking to be retooled. At Axios, Sarah Fischer details that the new Warners/Discovery management is addressing what has become a clear problem for the company.

Warner Bros. Discovery has suspended all external marketing spend for CNN+ and has laid off CNN’s longtime chief financial officer as it weighs what to do with the subscription streaming service moving forward, five sources tell Axios.

Three weeks. That is how long CNN+ has been made available. Three weeks, and already the management is considering it a lost cause. This is partly a result of the Discovery executives working off of acquired streaming knowledge, realizing what does and does not work with consumers. They are now eyeing options for the new streaming product, such as rolling it into HBO Max (similar to NBC News on Peacock), possibly bundling the services (similar to Disney+/Hulu/ESPN+), and maybe even offering some of its content for free in an ad-supported offer.

The new management team was not happy with the rollout of CNN+ ahead of the merger, but certain realities made a delay untenable, such as the amount of talent that had been signed at high prices and would then be on the sidelines getting paid to not produce content. What is clear is that CNN+ was not meeting projections, much of that partly due to unrealistic projections being set.

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