CNN takes All Access abroad to turn global reach into paying subscribers

The expansion comes as AI-driven changes to search affect how publishers reach audiences: a shift CNN says it is watching and not immune to. “Ultimately, we’re trying to build a direct-to-consumer business,” Amanda Rottier, svp and head of growth for CNN Worldwide, told Digiday. “This has been our strategy at CNN for a couple of years now, and this [international rollout] is a key component of scaling that strategy.” 

The timing could also help attract subscribers ahead of the U.S. midterms. “You’ve got two countries in the U.K. and Canada that are incredibly interested and tied to what happens to America that will be interested in the day-to-day of what’s happening,” said Rob Bradley, group svp of digital advertising and operations at CNNIC and Warner Brothers Discovery.

The subscription service has been available in the U.S. for a year, though CNN wouldn’t share subscriber or revenue figures. Rottier said the strongest signals so far have been audience engagement with CNN’s 24/7 live stream, articles and major live events, including New Year’s Eve and town halls. CTV viewers have particularly long watch times, she said, while mobile users are also highly engaged, especially with video on demand. She described U.S. churn as “very healthy,” while noting that most subscribers sign up annually and that CNN is still watching how retention holds as its subscriber base grows.

In the U.K. and Canada, CNN plans to start with an audience it already knows. Rottier said initial focus is on people who are already highly engaged with CNN — its “super fans” — before trying to reach broader audiences. She added that CNN sees an opportunity to emphasize its accurate, authentic journalism as AI-generated “slop“ proliferates.

As audiences fragment, media companies are using better analytics to identify the small group of users that drives a disproportionate share of revenue, and find ways to earn more from them, even as overall reach declines, according to Greg Piechota, researcher-in-residence at INMA. He said that across 318 news brands benchmarking with the organization, median online monthly users were down 14% compared with 2024, while the number of “heavy users” — those visiting at least 10 times a month — held steady. “Those heavy users are now the business,” he added.

Data from five INMA member publishers suggest the revenue can be concentrated among a small group: about 1% of “super users” generated between 60% and 81% of total revenue, including subscriptions and advertising, per Piechota.

CNN also faces different starting points in each country. In Canada, about a quarter of online adults use CNN weekly, according to Reuters Institute/YouGov audience data cited by Piechota. In the U.K., weekly reach is around 4%, while the BBC reaches roughly 60% of people. CNN’s British users tend to be news-heavy consumers who use it alongside the BBC, rather than instead of it, he said. That makes the task different in each market: extending CNN’s reach in Canada and earning a more regular place in British audiences’ existing news habits.

The service will include live CNN channels featuring U.S. and international programming, on-demand video, CNN Original Series and films, plus access to CNN’s text, audio and video content online and in its app. Standard pricing is £4.99 a month or £49.99 a year in the U.K., and C7.99 a month or C79.99 a year in Canada. Introductory annual offers are £37.99 and C59.99, respectively.

Bradley said campaigns can draw on audience data across CNN’s platforms, and advertisers can also target subscribers as a distinct audience, run display and video ads, including dynamically inserted ads in live streams, and sponsor programming.

The wider commercial argument is that subscriptions and advertising can support one another, rather than operating as separate businesses. “Logged-in, known users carry data that advertisers will pay a premium for,” said Piechota. Naturally, there are some trade-offs. “Two revenue lines add complexity, and subscriptions demand that you put user needs first. Sequencing also matters: you win users first, and advertisers follow,” he added.

Bradley said All Access will be part of broader cross-platform advertising campaigns. He stressed that clients increasingly expect insight-led selling, measurement throughout campaigns and evidence that campaigns delivered, and that All Access can contribute to CNN’s wider effort to build first-party data. 

Like many publishers, CNN’s advertiser conversations are also beginning to extend to the emerging AI and LLM environments. Bradley said clients are asking how brands and publishers should show up there, but that CNN is proceeding cautiously and discussing some solutions, particularly around branded content, as its partnerships develop. “The whole industry is figuring that out now,” he said. “You don’t want to go all in. People are still learning.”

The rollout also comes amid a change in ownership: the Skydance merger closed just last week. While it’s too early to outline how the company’s strategy might fit with the broader portfolio, Bradley said that the existing commercial portfolio at Warner Brothers Discovery has now been made “even stronger.”