CNN launches international streaming push as David Ellison takes control

CNN is expanding its paid streaming service overseas for the first time, accelerating its effort to build a digital business as new owner David Ellison takes control of the news network’s future.

The broadcaster will launch an all-access subscription in the UK and Canada on October 20, two weeks after Ellison’s Skydance completed its $111bn takeover of Warner Bros Discovery, giving him control of CNN alongside CBS, HBO and Paramount.

CNN chair Mark Thompson, who was retained by Ellison to continue running the network following the acquisition, is seeking to build a digital subscription business generating more than $1bn in annual revenue by 2030, as CNN tries to offset the decline of its traditional cable television business.

The service, which launched in the US a year ago, offers subscribers a live news stream separate from CNN’s traditional television channel, alongside on-demand video and unlimited access to its online journalism. It will cost £4.99 a month in the UK and C$7.99 in Canada, with plans to expand to other countries next year.

“We probably have more correspondents and reporters on camera in the field than any other broadcaster in the free world,” Thompson said in an interview. “From Ted Turner on, this global news commitment is what CNN has always stood for in the world’s eyes. Global access to CNN on all platforms is a no- brainer.”

CNN declined to disclose subscriber numbers in the US, but Thompson said the service was performing ahead of internal forecasts. “We’re exceeding some challenging targets.”

CNN is expected to generate $1.8bn in revenue and $600mn in adjusted operating profit this year, according to financial projections disclosed in a January regulatory filing.

The expansion comes as Ellison’s heavily indebted media group Skydance has pledged to find $6bn in cost savings following the takeover.

CNN executives outlined their digital strategy to Skydance in a meeting this spring, but the two sides have yet to discuss a detailed business plan, according to a person familiar with the matter. Warner Bros Discovery previously committed more than $70mn over several years to Thompson’s turnaround efforts.

Thompson last week told staff in an internal memo that Ellison and his team had “seen our digital strategy and are as excited about it as we are”.

Thompson is open to integrating CNN’s programming into Skydance’s larger streaming services, including Paramount+ and HBO Max, while retaining a standalone subscription for audiences who primarily want news.

“I’m not at all against the idea of being part of a streaming service like Paramount+ or HBO Max,” he said. He envisages different options for audiences, from watching live news on television to following breaking events or reading articles on mobile phones.

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CNN’s change in ownership comes amid escalating tensions with US President Donald Trump’s administration.

Over the weekend, the justice department said it was investigating CNN and other television networks over whether they violated antitrust law by pausing pooled coverage of Trump. The networks temporarily refused to provide pool coverage after the president banned CNN and other outlets from the White House last month.

“To us, the administration’s ongoing efforts to exclude our access to the White House and the president is a First Amendment matter,” Thompson said. “The public’s right to have journalists asking questions and holding US political leadership to account is the true topic.”