CNN Will Cut 6% of Current Staff in Digital Pivot; New Products, TV Lineup in Works

variety.com:

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor CNN will cut 6% of its current workforce as part of CEO Mark Thompson‘s continuing efforts to build up the Warner Bros.

Discovery outlet’s digital and broadband acumen as the audience flocking to its flagship cable network continues to wane. Many of his plans, telegraphed in a series of memos over recent months, have been expected. “Our objective is a simple one: to shift CNN’s gravity towards the platforms and products where the audience themselves are shifting and, by doing that, to secure CNN’s future as one of the world’s greatest news organizations,” Thompson said in a memo. “America and the world need high quality, fair-minded, trustworthy sources of news more than ever.

This difficult and sometimes painful process of change is the only way to make sure we can still provide it.” Thompson said CNN intended to unveil a new subscription-based streaming product Tthat would allow its users to “stream news programming from us on any device they choose.

It’s early days but we’ve already established that there’s immense demand for it not just in America but across much of the world.” The service would be separate from what is available on the parent company’s Max streaming service, and evokes plans that NBCUniversal’s CNBC recently announced for a stand-alone service called CNBC+.