With the announcement that HBO Max will greenlight fewer scripted shows and started axing DC projects including the highly-anticipated Batgirl movie, Discovery+ revealed today that original CNN shows will be headed towards its streaming service on August 19. These programs were all once on HBO Max, prior to the short-lived existence of the CNN+ streaming service.
Shows such as This Is Life with Lisa Ling, Parts Unknown with Anthony Bourdain--which ended in 2018 following Bourdain's suicide, and Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy will now be part of the Discovery+ programming, along with several more reality-based series. This news follows that Discovery's Magnolia Network will be on HBO Max on starting September 30 further blurring the lines between these two services as Magnolia Network was once part of Discovery+.
"True crime, food, and travel programming are among the most-watched genres for Discovery+ viewers, so these titles from CNN will fit right in with our best-in-class collection of unscripted content," said JB Perrette, president, and CEO of Warner Bros. Discovery streaming, in a statement.
CNN attempted its own streaming service, simply called CNN+, but dissolved after only a few weeks. For now, Warner Bros. Discovery's existing streaming services HBO Max and Discovery+ will remain their own products. Warner Bros. Discovery executives are expected to elaborate on their long-term streaming plans during the company's earnings call later on the evening of August 4.