May 23, 2023
CNN’s foray into subscription streaming may have been short-lived, but Warner Bros. Discovery’s flagship news unit hasn’t thrown in the towel on streaming video.
The brand May 23 launched CNN Fast, a new free ad-supported streaming television (FAST) channel that offers audiences to watch a range of quick-paced, internationally focused CNN content.
The platform features a curated channel of short-form videos that will feature international stories across major news events, business, entertainment, sport and the environment. Launching today across several European countries on Rakuten TV, it will also be available on LG Channels from May 24, followed by Samsung TV Plus in June. The channel’s mix of news and lifestyle content complements the existing ways that people can consume CNN content via digital, linear, audio and social media platforms.
“CNN Fast offers a new and different user experience to the main CNN broadcast channel,” Humphrey Black, head of distribution strategy at CNN International Commercial, said in a statement. “By working with established CTV platform partners, where we have already seen considerable success for CNN content, we’re now able to connect with more viewers and households via the devices and formats that they already enjoy.”
CNN Fast is available in the following countries: Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Luxemburg, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and UK. It will be available in more countries and platforms in the coming year. This builds off the current FAST offerings in the United States, available on Samsung TV Plus and Pluto TV.
“This is a great opportunity to showcase highlights of some of the best CNN content to a broader audience, offering different genres of stories presented in a fast-paced, short-form style that will appeal to a younger and wider demographic,” said Meara Erdozain, SVP of Programming at CNN International.