Like the phoenix rising from the ashes, CNN is heading back to streaming after the demise of CNN+. The new project is CNN Max, a 24/7 streaming channel on Max that’s set to debut in open beta on September 27. (Max: It’s the new +!) Per a press release, the stream will include most of the biggest shows from CNN and CNN International, including Anderson Cooper 360, The Lead With Jake Tapper, Amanpour, and The Situation Room With Wolf Blitzer. But there will also be new, Max-specific programming, with hosts including Jim Acosta, Rahel Solomon, Amara Walker, Fredricka Whitfield, and Jim Sciutto, the last of whom will lead afternoon breaking-news coverage. (Not all of CNN’s shows can stream on Max due to contracts.) The stream comes on top of the CNN content already on Max (since the network is owned by Warner Bros. Discovery), like Who’s Talking to Chris Wallace?, Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown, and Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy, which will also be collected under the CNN Max hub.
In a statement, Warner Bros. Discovery’s CEO of global streaming and games, JB Perrette, said he was excited about the “significantly younger and additive audience†that streaming will bring the news network. CNN’s worldwide leadership team, meanwhile, also touted the “new platform†they could bring the news to. No mention, of course, of the time they already tried to do before — but check back in a month (that is, October 27) to see if this can become CNN’s longest-lasting streaming effort.