HBO Max will remove CNN’s continuous live news stream from its U.S. platform on Nov. 17 as the cable network readies a standalone streaming product set to arrive this fall.
HBO Max subscribers in the United States will lose access to CNN’s round-the-clock live stream later this year, the companies have confirmed.
The stream — which offered a continuous feed of CNN programming inside HBO Max — will be taken down on Nov. 17 as CNN shifts focus to launching its own direct subscription offering slated for this fall of 2025.
Although the livestream is ending, HBO Max will keep a selection of CNN’s long-form titles available on the platform.
Documentaries and series such as Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown, Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy and The Whole Story with Anderson Cooper are expected to remain part of HBO Max’s catalogue, giving viewers ongoing access to CNN’s hallmark non-breaking news programming.
The move comes as CNN prepares a second attempt to build a streaming business aimed at younger viewers and audiences more inclined to consume news outside traditional cable.
That follow-up to the short-lived CNN+ service — which launched and shut down in 2022 — is being positioned as a leaner, more focused product rather than a flashy relaunch.
Details including the new streamer’s name, pricing and exact launch date have not been disclosed by Warner Bros. Discovery, the parent company that oversees both HBO Max and CNN.
CNN leadership says the partnership with HBO Max offered useful insight into audience habits. CNN’s digital products team noted that the network learned from the streaming platform’s subscriber base which kinds of programming resonated most — lessons the network plans to apply when it rolls out the upcoming subscription service.
Industry observers will be watching whether CNN’s in-house streamer can capture viewers who increasingly split their attention across social platforms, on-demand services and legacy broadcast outlets.
For HBO Max, the decision to remove the live feed appears to be part of a broader content reshuffle that keeps high-value documentary and original programming while allowing CNN to control its live streaming destiny.
For now, fans of CNN content should mark their calendars for Nov. 17 if they rely on HBO Max for live news — and expect a separate CNN streaming subscription to arrive sometime this fall, with more concrete details to come.
