Say what???? The optimistic launch and ignominious end of CNN+

The announcement that after an expenditure of something like $300 million, CNN was going to pull its CNN+ streaming service after just a month in operation sent shock waves through the media and entertainment ecosystem. Coming on the heels of a setback for streaming darling Netflix, it looks as though the media equation is set for a major inflection point. And how could I resist speculating about the latest entry to my flops file?

It seemed like a good idea at the time…

In a announcement in the summer of 2021, CNN formally announced the expected launch of a venture that must have been in the works for a bit. Scheduled for launch in 2022, the company was already purportedly hiring hundreds of people and developing many hours of programming for the fledgling service. Senior executives at the company sure seemed bullish:

“Jeff Zucker, the chairman of WarnerMedia News and Sports and president of CNN Worldwide, portrayed CNN+ as the evolution of video news and the start of a new era for the company. “CNN invented cable news in 1980, defined online news in 1995 and now is taking an important step in expanding what news can be by launching a…