CNN on Max to Launch in September, Feature 24/7 News at No Additional Cost

Warner Bros. Discovery announced Thursday that Max will add 24/7 news to its streaming offering with the U.S. launch of CNN Max on Wednesday, Sept. 27.

Live programming will be included with all Max packages, including Max With Ads ($9.99/month), Max Ad-Free ($15.99/month) and Max Ultimate Ad-Free ($19.99/month).

According to WBD, the service will include new offerings built specifically for the Max streaming audience like CNN Newsroom with anchors Jim Acosta, Rahel Solomon, Amara Walker, Fredricka Whitfield and Jim Sciutto. Sciutto will lead breaking news coverage in the afternoons.

CNN Max will also offer CNN originals Amanpour, Anderson Cooper 360, The Lead With Jake Tapper and The Situation Room With Wolf Blitzer, as well as additional live programming from CNN U.S. and CNN International.

“As we laid out at our launch only a few months ago, our vision for Max is to be ‘The One to Watch’ for all members of a household,” JB Perrette, CEO and President, Global Streaming and Games, said in a statement. “We have the broadest and highest quality entertainment offering, and now will include world-leading news as a meaningful addition for all Max subscribers, at no extra charge. CNN Max is differentiated by having 24/7 news at its core from CNN, the leading global news organization, and being available on a scaled streaming service in the U.S., which has a significantly younger and additive audience compared to traditional TV. This provides even more quality choices for Max customers who will be able to easily catch up on what is happening in the world, particularly in moments of breaking news, all within one seamless experience. We’re excited to engage our Max community in this initial beta stage to help us learn and develop what appeals most to our customers in this new genre.”

Upon launch, the currently branded CNN Originals hub on Max will be renamed CNN Max. The hub is already home to over 900 episodes of current and legacy programming, including Who’s Talking to Chris Wallace, The Whole Story With Anderson Cooper, Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown and Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy.

The CNN Max news comes 16 months after WBD shuttered CNN+, a standalone streaming service that folded just four weeks after launch.