CNN returns to paid video streaming with launch of new All Access tier
Warner Bros Discovery (WBD)’s news giant CNN is heading back into the paid video streaming market with the launch of a new All Access tier in the US.
Set to launch in the US on October 28, the new tier will serve as a “centralised destination” for all of CNN’s journalism, said the Atlanta-based news organisation, including its live and on-demand coverage and programming.
All Access is an addition to the existing CNN subscription product, which was launched in October 2024 and gives subscribers access to all of CNN’s online stories and reporting, though does not include video. With the introduction of the new tier, the existing product will be rebranded as the Basic Tier.
All Access is priced at US$6.99 a month and US$69.99 annually, with an introductory offer of US$41.99 for the first year.
Specifically, the new tier will include a selection of CNN’s live US and international programming; newly release CNN original series and CNN Films; its library of CNN Originals spanning more than 1,000 hours of content; exclusive new video-on-demand programming and special features from CNN journalists; exclusive live events and all CNN.com articles and subscriber-only content.
The launch comes more than three years after the infamous closure of CNN+, the streaming service that was shuttered after only one month as CEO and president David Zaslav and his leadership team took the reins at the newly combined WBD. Notably, the new All Access offering does not currently feature a large slate of exclusive content, which was one of the hallmarks of the CNN+ streamer.
WBD had also launched CNN Max in 2023, offering some CNN programming as part of the HBO Max subscription in the US. Initially, CNN Max was available on both the ad-supported and ad-free versions of HBO Max, but earlier this year it stopped being offered on the ad tier. As previously announced, CNN Max is being pulled from HBO Max on November 17.
CNN Worldwide, which is led by chair and CEO Mark Thompson, is one of the brands that will be spun off into Discovery Global when WBD separates its linear networks from its streaming/studio assets. That separation is expected to be complete by the middle of 2026, though David Ellison’s Paramount is reportedly weighing a bid to acquire all of WBD in a transaction that would pre-empt the split.
“No one covers the world like CNN. With this new subscription offering, our audience will now have access to the best of CNN across platforms, including multiple live stream channels, our signature video-led journalism and all articles on CNN.com and in the mobile app,” said Alex MacCallum, executive VP of digital products and services, CNN Worldwide.
“It’s an essential step in CNN’s evolution as we work to give audiences the complete CNN experience in a format that reflects how audiences engage with the news today.”
