CNN adds vertical video-focused ‘Shorts’ tab to mobile app

CNN began rolling out what it calls an “immersive vertical video feed” in its mobile app Nov. 10, 2025, while still offering the traditional list of headlines for users who prefer that format.

According to the network, the feature “gets audiences closer to the news and their favorite CNN personalities.” 

Located at the top of the app’s home feed, the updated interface lets users toggle between two tabs that switch between the more traditional headline-driven layout under “Top Stories” and the new lean-in video experience under “Shorts.”

The CNN app before the Nov. 10, 2025, update, left, and after, right, with the ‘Top Stories’ and ‘Shorts’ tab added to the top next to the CNN logo. This area is now slightly higher and has also been switched to white. These screen captures were taken Nov. 11, 2025, and features the iOS 26 ‘liquid glass’ interface. 

Shorts is also designed to let users quickly swipe through clips in a way that feels familiar to social media users.

Vertical video has, of course, been a big focus for both legacy and new media outlets for some time now. Most major newsrooms are already posting clips to short-form video platforms or features within other services. 

Snapchat was one of the early pioneers of the format, with the added feature that content would disappear after a set amount of time. TikTok would follow in their footsteps, adding its own blend of features such as editing tools and ability to use music clips as backgrounds.

Today, Meta’s Facebook and Instagram offer both “Reels,” which are short-form videos that remain visible indefinitely, and “Stories,” which disappear after 24 hours. Both are focused on the vertical format and are designed to be easy to flip through quickly. 

All of these platforms monetize by inserting advertising within users’ feeds, while influencers can also make money through sponsored posts. CNN did not mention if it will be selling advertising space or sponsored content within its feature.

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CNN’s ‘CNN Shorts’ section of its website has been featured on the homepage for several months.

NBC News also includes a ‘Video Shorts’ section on its homepage.

Outside of CNN’s new feature, vertical video has also made its way to desktop and tablet users, with both CNN and NBC News adding prominent sections on their homepages spotlighting vertical video, with the look and feel modified slightly for the fact that most wider-screen devices don’t natively display video in a vertical format.

While it’s likely media outlets will continue to distribute at least some content via third-party apps, it appears they are also eager to break into the format within a platform they control completely. This gives them complete control over the user experience and doesn’t require them to fight against an algorithm to be featured.

It also means only content from their newsroom is featured, while also potentially opening up the opportunity to sell advertising in the space and keep more or all of the revenue than the smaller splits they often have to share with third-party services. Along these lines, it also gives each outlet the ability to control what advertising appears within its content as well as the ability to bundle the spots with larger campaigns on behalf of advertising partners.

Besides getting users to give up their favorite short-form video apps, news outlets also will likely need to find ways to keep their feeds stocked with a good blend of content and not necessarily just headlines of the day.

For example, users have become accustomed to getting everything from their shopping fix, recipes, viral videos, memes, ASMR-inducing clips and more from their feeds, so finding ways to feed into that type of content could be an important strategy. 

Major news brands often already have some key opportunities for this type of content — most already produce lifestyle content that could lend itself to clips on cooking tips and recipes, for example, and promotional deal segments are also a common fixture on most major networks. 

Another key aspect of social media feeds is influencers — personalities that viewers look forward to seeing and interacting with.

While getting correspondents to slide into a baby pool full of gelatin isn’t likely to happen, there may be other ways to explore allowing viewers to get up close and personal with reporters, including the use of selfie-style clips with off-the-cuff updates, point of view content from the scenes of major news stories or more lighthearted takes on the news of the day such spotlighting reporters trying out expert tips, discovering new food finds while on assignment, making standups more interactive and immersive and other tactics.