A slew of CNN Originals, including shows hosted by Anthony Bourdain, W. Kamau Bell, Lisa Ling and Dr. Sanjay Gupta, will be available for free to consumers starting today.CNN has launched a new free, ad-supported streaming channel (the industry abbreviation is a “FAST channel) today that will specifically be dedicated to CNN Original programming. The channel, “CNN Originals,” will include a variety of shows from the CNN Originals library, curated in a linear stream.Among the shows set to be available on the service are Amanpour: Sex and Love Around the World, Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown, Chasing Life with Dr. Sanjay Gupta, Diana, Lincoln: Divided We Stand, Soundtracks: Songs That Defined History,This is Life with Lisa Ling, The Wonder List with Bill Weir, United Shades of America with W. Kamau Bell, among others.The service will significantly expand the availability of the programming, which is currently only available on the Max streaming platform.The CNN Originals FAST channel also marks an expansion of CNN’s streaming strategy. Right now Max has some live CNN programming, and the news outlet has a pair of headline-focused FAST channels (one in the U.S., and another international). But According to Phil Nelson, executive VP of CNN international commercial, the company has “additional channels planned to launch in the months ahead.”The new CNN FAST channel will initially launch on Amazon Freevee, Prime Video and on Fire TV services, and on Plex, with other platforms set to follow in the coming weeks and months.“We’re very happy to expand CNN’s FAST portfolio with the new compelling offering of a CNN Originals channel, bringing some of the very best, award-winning long-form content in the business to audiences in this format,” added Nelson.
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