CNN is entering the subscription business starting this month. Subscriptions for the website are currently $3.99 a month or $29.99 for a year and offer users unlimited access to CNN.com content, including exclusive features and the network’s election coverage.
More products and offerings will be announced in the future. These will include new additions and innovations in the lifestyle journalism space as well as digital experiences, which will utilize the company’s strengths in video and talent.
CNN users will be prompted to subscribe to this new model after reading a certain number of free articles. At launch several content hubs will be offered to the public without a subscription, including the CNN.com homepage, the site’s breaking news live stories and live blogs, standalone video pages, vertical video, interactive elements, sponsored articles and CNN Underscored.
As for CNN’s live TV feed, that will still be managed through a pay TV login and will not be included in a CNN.com subscription.
“The vast majority of the 150 million users who visit CNN.com every month will continue to enjoy the same experience as they do today,” Alex MacCallum, EVP of digital produces and services for CNN Worldwide, wrote in an internal memo to staff that was obtained by TheWrap. “This launch is just the first step in CNN’s journey to become a more consumer-oriented digital product company. Over time, we will invest in ways to better meet our users’ needs and expand our aperture to engage and serve new audiences.”
The news leader announced its plan to paywall content last month though CNN has been hinting at the move since July. Paywalls are common practices among major news organizations such as the New York Times and the New Yorker. After the New York Times launched its digital subscription product in 2011, it took a little over four years for the product to gain 1 million subscribers.
This isn’t the first time CNN has dabbled in a subscription model. Two years ago the company launched the short lived CNN+, a streaming service with exclusive content. It was discontinued for being too costly following the formation of CNN’s current parent company, Warner Bros. Discovery.
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