CNN+, CNN’s pay-per-view service, was officially launched on Tuesday, accompanied by a lot of fanfare and excitement–mostly from CNN employees. It was intended to create excitement for an organization struggling to survive within its “free” cable news side of things.
However, for CNN, things have been off to a difficult start, including the report of Fox Business Network reporter Charles Gasparino, who noted that CNN+ employees are already “bracing for layoffs possibly as soon as May amid projections of lackluster sales of [the] new streaming channel.” Additionally, there were those promotional email messages CNN+ sent Tuesday in which they provided “50 percent off for life” subscriptions to the service, another indication that something is wrong in Paradise.
Although this news may not be favorable for newly minted CNN+ celebrity Chris Wallace, one intentionally funny development that's come from the shaky launch of CNN's brand new offering is its “CNN+ Help” Twitter account, which is proving to be much more enjoyable than what they're asking people to shell out for (half discount or no!).
In response to Gasparino's tweet regarding the possibility of layoffs, the CNN's strategic communications guy, Matt Dornic, tried the “move along, nothing to see here” strategy, telling Gasparino “for the record, we are VERY happy with the launch of CNN+ and are only bracing for a long run of success.”
In another instance, a Twitter user made a crucial point when he asked the CNN+ “Help” account and CNN media hall monitor Brian Stelter, “Why would anyone spend money on a new service or application? There's nothing that you'll be able to provide.” Another Twitter user who was unhappy noted that his subscription did not last long. “My @CNNplus subscription lasted all of 24 hours. I'll never get that $2.99 back. Coulda bought a Choc-Ice.” CNN+ Help promised to “look into it.”
Another doubter also joined in, asking if there is “anyone out there dumb enough to pay extra for CNN? I don't think even Senile Joe is that dumb.” CNN+ Help promised to relay the feedback to “the team” in an attempt to improve CNN+ “even better.”
LOL. Their (likely automatized) Twitter account is much more enjoyable to follow compared to the official CNN+ streaming service. It's also free! How did we become so fortunate?
