CNN launching DTC ‘All Access’ streaming tier Oct. 28

CNN has announced pricing, a launch date and other details about it standalone direct-to-consumer streaming offering.

The service, which had previously been announced under the “All Access” branding, will launch Oct. 28, 2025, for U.S. users. 

CNN will charge $6.99 per month or $69.99 per year for the tier, though an introductory rate of $41.99 for the first year is being offered until Jan. 5, 2026.

The offering will build upon its current subscription service that provides unlimited access to articles on cnn.com and mobile apps as well as reduced advertising. That service, which launched just over a year ago, will become known as the “Basic” tier. 

What’s included in CNN All Access

All Access will add the ability to stream the domestic and international feed of the CNN linear offerings. It will also include access to over 1,000 hours of CNN Originals plus next-day access to new CNN Original Series and CNN Films.

Also included will be “exclusive new video-on-demand programming and special features from CNN’s award-winning journalists,” though further details were not provided.

“With this new subscription offering, our audience will now have access to the best of CNN across platforms, including multiple live stream channels, our signature video-led journalism and all articles on CNN.com and in the mobile app,” said Alex MacCallum, executive vice president, digital products and services, CNN Worldwide, in a statement. “It’s an essential step in CNN’s evolution as we work to give audiences the complete CNN experience in a format that reflects how audiences engage with the news today.”

CNN had been providing linear feeds and on-demand access to select content via CNN Max, a content hub within HBO Max that launched in 2023, but has said these will shut down Nov. 1, 2025, just days after All Access launches.

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Pay television subscribers with packages that include CNN will also be able to use the All Access video components at no cost, but would still need to pay the Basic tier rate of $3.99 per month or $39.99 per year for website and app access to all content.

Part of plan to address CNN’s ‘existential crisis’

The All Access launch comes at a key time in the cable industry — when more and more subscribers continue to cancel traditional services and either switch to streaming options or shift to alternative ways to access content.

CNN chief Mark Thompson has noted that the news organization is facing an “existential crisis” that will require a shift to more DTC products, including the existing website and app plan.

Behind the scenes, the network also reorganized its newsrooms by combining linear and digital operations, in 2024.

Potential market for CNN All Access

It’s unclear how much interest there might be in this offering, however.

At nearly $70, NCS’s review of pricing reveals that subscribing to the service is only about $20 per month cheaper than vMVPD services such as YouTube TV and Hulu + Live TV, which include access to CNN plus dozens of other channels.

That said, YouTube TV does not include the CNN International feed, though Hulu’s option does.

Put another way, one could pick from several vMVPD options and pay for the CNN Basic option for about $120 a year, which is about $50 more than it would cost to buy All Access — while still getting the potentially added value of dozens of additional channels plus features such as cloud DVR, according to that analysis. 

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Of course, the intro rate throws those numbers off, but CNN has said that’s only good for the first year. 

While these pricing scenarios don’t create an insignificant differences, CNN could face challenges getting users, who already facing a cluttered streaming marketplace, to commit to buying another subscription that doesn’t include a wider range of sources.

Who is CNN All Access good for?

That said, CNN’s new offering may be a good option for price-sensitive CNN fans who don’t care about other linear content, according to that review. For those who prefer to get most or all of their video content from CNN and have a particular interest in the nonfiction-style programming the network has stocked up on.

CNN subscription efforts so far

It’s unclear how many subscribers to the soon-to-be-“Basic” tier CNN has been able to amass because the network does not release those figures publicly. 

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NCS’s review of recent efforts show the network has been promoting the offering via a “Subscribe” button on its digital properties as well as through paywall promos that pop up when a user hits the article limit or tries to access subscriber-only content. 

Metering views of more traditional article-style spot news coverage on digital properties has long been believed to have limited benefits to news organizations after paid subscribers because there is so much duplication across brands. 

CNN has, however, been focusing paywalling more content such as more in-depth reporting, analysis, commentary and interactive features that would be less likely to be offered by other organizations, according to the analysis.

NCS has also noted that many of these articles often end up with tempting headlines such as “She was buried alive in a shallow grave. Then a farmer saw her fingers move.” The network appears to have been ramping up posting these on social media and other platforms possibly lure in more subscribers.

The new DTC access to the linear feeds also has the potential to put a bigger chunk of revenue directly into CNN’s pockets.

Under the MVPD model, most networks included in pay TV packages charge the provider a set monthly rate per subscriber. When creating their package pricing, these providers, in turn, have to factor in the total sum of these per-channel costs, plus backend, billing and service expenses to create a package price that also makes sense financially. 

By selling direct to customers, CNN will likely be able to keep a much bigger chunk of revenue.

CNN’s announcement did not mention or address the points made in NCS’s look at recent public postings and marketing or potential affects on revenue.

Different than CNN+

CNN All Access is also notably different than CNN+, the ill-fated streamer the network launched in 2022 that was in operation for less than a month.

That effort focused heavily on producing original programming for the streamer, which included pricey investments in new staff hires, many of whom lost their jobs when CNN+ shut down.

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CNN+ launched during a time when many media companies were investing very heavily in flashy lineups of original content for streaming. While major productions for streamers are still produced, there is a more cautious and cost-conscious approach to this spending. 

This time around, CNN appears to be taking a much more measured approach to its content strategy. Other than the vague reference to “exclusive” VOD content and “special features” from journalists, CNN has not announced solid plans on stocking All Access with original content, particularly live news coverage.

The move is likely wise — the market is already crowded with a significant number of free news streamers producing coverage on a growing basis, including ones backed by major network players. Many of these offerings produce standalone shows exclusive to the streamers and the fact they are free and ad-supported could potentially make it difficult to get people to pay for a similar service.

It’s difficult to measure the impact this type of programming has because the companies rarely announce detailed breakdowns of streaming viewership.