CNN Plus launches with Reddit-like interactive Q&As

Image: CNN Plus

CNN is launching a premium streaming service today. CNN Plus will have about a dozen weekly shows, more than a thousand hours of on-demand content, and an interactive tool for asking reporters and guests questions about the day's biggest news. It's a big bet that viewers will pay for more CNN news, and that the CNN brand can beat out other options.

CNN Plus is more than just a digital library for coverage. The app will launch with new shows from Jake Tapper, Anderson Cooper, and others. It is a product for people who need a dedicated streaming service for news coverage that goes beyond what is already available through paid newsletters, documentary services, and CNN.

CNN Plus is seen as being part of the equation. It is a new product that is complimentary to CNN on linear television, according to the chief technology officer of CNN.

Image: CNN Plus

CNN Plus distinguishes itself by being interactive. During some live CNN Plus segments, viewers will be able to submit questions through a feature called Interview Club. Those questions can be upvoted by other subscribers, like a version of the internet bulletin board.

CNN wants us to see CNN Plus as distinct from its broadcast counterpart, but the two are entwined. CNN will give viewers access to both CNN Plus and the pay-TV experiences, which includes feeds for CNN, CNN International, and HLN. The two programming components need to be unlocked separately. CNN Plus will cost $6 per month, but you will need a cable provider login to access the pay-TV programming. CNN Plus will allow users to lock in a discounted rate for the first month if they stay subscribed.

The challenge is that CNN will be going up against a number of general-purpose streaming services, like Peacock or Paramount Plus, that offer news content alongside hit sitcoms, dramas, and movies. There are plenty of free-to-stream services that have 24-hour news coverage.

CNN Plus will be launching in a crowded space. It will be difficult to convince subscribers that it is worth the money for a service that does little else.