CNN is one step closer to its digital future.
Warner Bros. Discovery, the parent company of CNN that also owns Max, said Thursday that the satellite news network will begin a 24-hour broadcast channel on Max starting Sept. 27.
The company said CNN Max will feature premium live programming, including a live-only news program hosted by veteran broadcaster Jim Chiotto, but in an even more unusual move, it will broadcast many programs directly from the cable network.
The overlap will include a minimum of four hours of cable programming such as “The Lead With Jake Tapper,” “The Situation Room With Wolf Blitzer,” and “Anderson Cooper 360.” JB Perrett, president of global broadcasting at Warner Bros. Discovery, said in an interview that the cable shows will be broadcast at the same time as they appear on cable.
CNN, as well as competitors such as Fox News, have generally avoided simulcasting live programming from its parent cable network on over-the-air channels, usually out of fear that it might conflict with lucrative agreements with major cable operators.
However, some companies are starting to make moves. NBCUniversal began airing MSNBC’s flagship show, “Morning Joe,” and CNBC’s morning show, “Squawk Box,” began airing live on the Peacock streaming service this year.
This endeavor isn’t CNN’s first foray into the live broadcast business. CNN+, the expensive and short-lived streaming channel, shut down within weeks after the Warner Bros. merger. and Discovery in new company in April 2022. The channel featured premium programming from cable news network (including shows like “Jake Tapper’s Book Club”), Warner Bros. The new Discovery has a dim view of this approach.
Upon closing the service, Mr. Perrett invoked social media posts that called the service “CNN Minus” because it contained none of the actual satellite news network programming, saying in a meeting with staff that it was the news organization’s “global calling card.”
Several media companies, including The Walt Disney Company, which owns ESPN, are beginning to consider when and how they can begin offering their live cable programming over the air.
“We haven’t said when, but we know it will happen,” Disney CEO Robert Iger told CNBC last month.
In addition to The Mr. Chioto Show, CNN Max will also have other premium live programming, including a streaming-only show hosted by Jim Acosta, Rachel Solomon, Amara Walker, and Frederica Whitfield.