CNN Preps ‘5 Things’ Revival in Streaming Max Test
CNN anchor Kate Bolduan got an interesting new job in 2022 when she was named the anchor of “5 Things,” a quick-hit open-the-day summary of top stories that was made available for streaming audiences. Two years later, she appears poised to get it again.
Bolduan will lead a test run of “5 Things” starting Monday on CNN Max, the live-streamed news service available on Max, the streaming venue backed by corporate parent Warner Bros. Discovery. The program’s reappearance after a long absence marks the latest chapter in a concept that many at the news outlet seem to love, but just can’t figure out how to transform into a sustainable video franchise. CNN already operates a podcast and newsletter tied to the format.
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CNN has reason to try “5 Things” anew. It was one of the more popular offerings made available on CNN+, an ambitious but short-lived subscription-based streaming service launched in 2022 in the weeks before CNN’s parent was sold to Discovery Communications by AT&T.
CNN+ was viewed as a chance to broaden CNN’s link to upscale consumers with programs that focused on business, media and politics, among other topics. The company invested a lot in hiring top personnel, including anchors Kasie Hunt, Audie Cornish and Chris Wallace, and well-known producers, including Jenn Suozzo, then the executive producer of NBC’s “NBC Nightly News.”
But the bosses atop CNN’s new parent were cool to the idea, and scrapped CNN+ within days of completing the transaction. Executives weren’t convinced CNN needed to be operated separately from Max, and felt any subscribers to the news programming ought to be funneled into the larger service,
The decision has cost CNN in many ways. The company had to pay out a number of personnel had hired for the venture, and rivals like NBCUniversal, Fox News and CBS News have made new strides in developing live-streaming operations.
The new CNN Max largely offers a simulcast of CNN’s existing program lineup from cable, though the live-stream is paired with the chance to view CNN’s documentaries on demand, as well as other news-adjacent fare, including HBO’s “Real Time With Bill Maher” and “Last Week Tonight.” Whether live-streaming of shows anchored by Jake Tapper and Wolf Blitzer already running on cable ultimately brings Warner Bros. Discovery into conflict with video distributors like Charter Communications or Comcast in months to come remains to be seen.
Despite the fall of CNN+, “5 Things” has long had its champions. There was speculation for several months that CNN might try to keep Bolduan doing a version of the show for its web operations, or even as an early-morning segment for its morning show.
Meanwhile, Bolduan has been taking part in another experiment. She is one of three anchors leading “CNN News Central,” a three-hour block of programming that uses a rich array of graphics and more kinetic camerawork to relay breaking news to the audience. For a time, CNN viewers may have the chance to see her work two different formats.
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