Get ready for live CNN on Max, with the streamer announcing a 24/7 news channel powered by CNN and starring some of the network’s most famous faces.
CNN Max will launch on September 27, and it will deliver a variety of news programming, breaking stories, and “top analysis, context, and reporting,” according to a Warner Bros. Discovery press release.
Max’s upcoming CNN news channel will be available to all Max subscribers at no additional charge, the company said.
The arrival of CNN Max comes nearly a year and a half after the quick, ignominious death of CNN+, the would-be CNN streaming service that lasted barely a few weeks before going dark. CNN+ was among the first victims of last year’s merger of Warner Bros. and Discovery.
Word of live CNN news coverage coming to Max first leaked back in June, but it wasn’t initially clear what the CNN offering would entail.
It’s worth noting that CNN Max won’t be a straight-up simulcast of the flagship CNN basic-cable channel, offering instead a mix of live CNN programming and shows tailored for Max.
Among the programming that Max users can expect on the new CNN channel are CNN Newsroom with Jim Acosta, Rachel Solomon, Amara Walker and Fredricka Whitfield, and CNN Newsroom with Jim Sciutto. Sciutto will anchor breaking news coverage in the afternoons.
Also coming to CNN Max is Amanpour, Anderson Cooper 360, The Lead with Jake Tapper, and The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer.
CNN Max will take the place of Max’s existing CNN Originals hub, as Variety notes.
Max is still ramping up its live-streaming efforts, although it has offered live sports in the past.
The streamer broadcasted its first U.S. Women’s Soccer National Team matches at the beginning of the year as part of an eight-year deal with the U.S. Soccer Federation. U.S. Men’s Soccer National Team matchups were also included in the deal.
Most of Max’s competitors have already embraced live streaming, centered primarily on sports.
Amazon Prime Video has the ever-popular Thursday Night Football, for example, while Apple TV+ streaming Major League Baseball and Major League Soccer. Peacock, meanwhile, offers the Olympics.
But will streaming viewers flock to live news in addition to sports? It’s difficult to imagine that live CNN programming would be a bigger draw than TNF when it comes to choosing where to spend your streaming dollars.
Then again–and perhaps in the hope of avoiding a high-profile embarrassment like Netflix’s live Love is Blind fiasco–Max may simply be getting its feet wet with CNN Max before diving into a more ambitious live-streaming endeavor, such as a rumored live sports tier.
Updated shortly after publication with a correction: Max has offered live streaming in the past, including coverage of U.S. Soccer National Team matches. Our apologies for the error.
Author: Ben Patterson, Senior Writer
Ben has been writing about technology and consumer electronics for more than 20 years. A PCWorld contributor since 2014, Ben joined TechHive in 2019, where he covers smart speakers, soundbars, and other smart and home-theater devices. You can follow Ben on Twitter.