CNN+ Ending Just Weeks After WarnerMedia CEO Said It Is the ‘Future of CNN’ and Performing Ahead of Expectations

CNN+ is soon to be a memory, even though it debuted only weeks ago and, at that time, then-WarnerMedia CEO Jason Kilar claimed the streaming service was exceeding expectations, despite reports suggesting the contrary.

“It’s ahead of my expectations in terms of where the subscribers are, the engagement [is], the receptiveness that we’re getting in terms of people’s response to the journalists of CNN+,” Kilar, the then-outgoing WarnerMedia CEO, said in an April 5 interview with CNBC’s TechCheck, adding that he could not be “more proud” of those behind the service.

A CNN statement to Mediaite at the time also denied reports about subscriber growth struggles and claimed the performance was already “well ahead of expectations” only days after the launch.

Kilar also called CNN+ the “future of CNN,” a bold statement considering subscriber growth had already been described as “small” in a Business Insider report since the streaming service debuted on March 29, with new shows from media personalities like Chris Wallace, as well as familiar CNN hosts like Brian Stelter and Wolf Blitzer.

A later CNBC report claimed the service was drawing in less than 10,000 people on a daily basis. Complicating matters was that though the streaming service was heavily and expensively marketed, but debuting amid a merger with Discovery, which has gone through, likely accelerating CNN+’s demise.

The service will close up shop on April 30, according to reports citing people familiar with the matter. The news was shared to staffers on Thursday by incoming CNN head Chris Lihct, according to the New York Times.

It was only days ago that marketing on the struggling streaming service was also suspended.