CNN is exploring ways to put more of its news offerings on Warner Bros. Discovery’s Max, with a report that plans are in the works to offer live programming on the platform outside the U.S.Such a move would mark the most ambitious move to streaming since the ill fated CNN+, a standalone subscription service, was shut down last year.But the ability to add live news to Max is complicated by carriage agreements with cable and satellite networks. In the four weeks that it was going, CNN+ featured a library of non-live CNN content, but its live programming was separate from that produced by the main network.At the launch event for Max in April, Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav signaled that live programming was under consideration for the streaming service. “We’re a global leader in sports. And we’re a global leader in news. And in a few months, we’ll come back to you with details of our attack plan to use this important and differentiating live content to grow our streaming business even further,” he said.Bloomberg reported on Wednesday that Warner Bros. Discovery had already decided to add live news to its service outside the United States.A source at the network told Deadline, “We are looking at all options,” noting the global reach of CNN and its networks, which include CNN International. Another source said that the Bloomberg report was premature.Max already features CNN programming including Who’s Talking To Chris Wallace?, a talk show first offered on CNN+, and The Whole Story with Anderson Cooper, its Sunday newsmagazine.But a challenge for all the news networks has been to offer live breaking news. Broadcast networks for several years have operated their own streaming channels, primarily with their own set of hosts and programming.Since its launch in 2018, the subscription streaming service Fox Nation has added next-day replays of Fox News primetime shows to its original entertainment and lifestyle programming. In 2020, Fox News launched Fox News International, which offers a live feed of Fox News and Fox Business programming, as well as on-demand options, in more than 40 countries. But it is available only to international audiences and not in the U.S.Last year, MSNBC did the same for its hub on Peacock’s premium tier, with Morning Joe and Deadline: White House joining programming like The Mehdi Hasan Show and a library of MSNBC documentaries.
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