CNN+ Bites the Dust After Just a Month On-Air

CNN’s parent company, Discovery, announced this afternoon that the pay-to-watch service would end its extremely short run at the end of April.

“In a complex streaming market, consumers want simplicity and an all-in service which provides a better experience and more value than stand-alone offerings, and, for the company, a more sustainable business model to drive our future investments in great journalism and storytelling,” Discovery CEO J.B. Perrette said in a statement. “We have very exciting opportunities ahead in the streaming space and CNN, one of the world’s premier reputational assets, will play an important role there.”

Incoming CEO John Licht held a town hall-style meeting with employees Thursday to break the news. During the meeting he called the shutdown a “uniquely shitty situation” and informed employees that they would receive pay and benefits for another 90 days while they “explore other opportunities.” If they are unable to find a job within CNN by then, they will be given a minimum of 6 months severence pay.

CNN+ staffers initially reacted to the announcement with “total and utter shock” but shortly afterward turned to sorrow.

“At first people were really freaking out,” explained the person, who requested anonymity to candidly describe the situation. “And then, toward the end of the meeting, it just turned to sadness. Every team was just huddling with each other.”

the launch despite it not fitting with Discovery’s all-in-one approach to streaming services. CNN+ went live just two weeks before the merger between Discovery and CNN was complete and, now, is just 9 days from its curtain call.