CNN Is Planning To Move Away From Linear TV And Put Its News Content On Streaming Platforms

CNN’s new boss said the network faces an “existential crisis” because of cord cutting — and that he plans to eventually pivot away from cable TV toward a subscription-based streaming model similar to YouTube and TikTok.

“There are plenty of things we have to fix at CNN,” Mark Thompson, the former New York Times and BBC executive who was hired by Warner Bros. Discovery to dig CNN out of its third-place slump in the cable news race, told Financial Times.

He also hinted that more cost-cutting measures are in the offing, saying that there are “likely to be significant opportunities for de-duplication of parallel organizations and structures and activities.”

“I think we can and should be looking for ways of doing what we do both better, but also doing it less expensively,” Thompson said.

The ex-BBC director general has a tall task — turning around CNN that has struggled to keep up in the ratings with Fox News and MSNBC.

Thompson said he was looking at distributing CNN content through smartphones and other devices in a shift to mostly digital — mimicking his tenure as head of The New York Times Company.

“The idea that there might be digital subscription is a serious possibility,” Thompson told FT when asked about his plans for CNN.

While no final decision has been made, “I think it’s quite likely that we’ll end up there,” he said.

Thompson did not specify what form the digital subscription service would take, though he ruled out it would be similar to CNN’s ill-fated CNN+ — the streaming news venture that was shut down less than a month after it launched.

CNN+, the brainchild of former CNN boss Jeff Zucker, was axed as part of a cost-cutting measure just weeks after the news channel was inherited by the newly merged entity Warner Bros. Discovery.

Thompson was hired last year to replace Zucker’s successor, Chris Licht, whose disastrous 13-month tenure as head of the network ended after an unflattering magazine profile portrayed him as thin-skinned and envious of his predecessor’s popularity.

Warner Bros. Discovery has $44 billion in debt that it needs to reduce — leading to speculation that CEO David Zaslav may look to sell CNN.

Thompson pushed back on the idea that he was abandoning TV altogether.

“Do we want to get more competitive in cable TV and by strengthening our schedules? Yes, we do,” he said.

“But the rate at which people have been and probably will continue to cut the cord and not look at cable TV at all is a far, far greater strategic threat than the finer points of competition between individual cable channels.”

During his eight-year tenure as president and CEO of the New York Times Company, Thompson expedited the publication’s transition to a digital, subscription-based news outlet that has been the main driver of revenue since.

Thompson, who left The New York Times Company in 2020, is credited with helping the Times attract millions of digital subscribers worldwide.

The lone bright spot for CNN is its website, which draws some 160 million unique users each month.

Thompson said that one possibility is to have CNN users register so that the network can then sell information about its audience to advertisers.

“We need an entirely new digital strategy,” he told FT.

“I don’t think any broadcaster has cracked the code on how to be yourself in terms of digital products.”

Credits: New York Post

News Shorts: CNN Phillipines To Close Down With 300 Job Losses, Fourth And Final Season Of Die Put On eExtra And Final Episodes Of The Ghost And Molly McGee Season 2 On Disney Channel Release Dates Revealed

CNN to close

CNN Philippines is to close down on Wednesday, the company announced on Monday local time. The move means up to 300 jobs will be lost.

CNN Philippines was launched in 2015 under a brand licensing agreement between Turner and Nine Media Network, a Philippines company that is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the ALC Group of Companies previously launched by the late Ambassador Antonio Cabangon-Chua.

“CNN Philippines will discontinue operations on all media platforms effective Wednesday, Jan 31, 2044,” the company said in a posting on social media. “A trusted source of news and information CNN Philippines is accessible on free-to-air TV, cable and digital platforms. To our staff, we thank you for your commitment and dedication. To our partners, including CNN Worldwide / Turner Broadcasting Corporation, we are grateful for your support. And to our viewers, our sincerest gratitude for your loyalty and trust over the past 9 years.”

Ramos axed on eExtra

Ramos was made available on eVOD Stream back in 2023 before launching on eExtra. With the season 1 finale on eExtra set for 28 February, eExtra will replace the eVOD Stream exclusive with another which was once exclusive to linear platforms, Die Put S4 from 29 February.

Synopsis for the final season:

With Arık Böke and Cengiz Erdenet joining the game, the Koçovalı Family begin the great war with the Erdenet Family. Cengiz, who will change all the balances in the war between the Koçovalı Family and the Erdenet Family, makes very important decisions about Yamaç. 

We are awaiting an update on the second season of Ramos on eExtra but it if we had to guess it will more likely surface once Die Put ends.

The Ghost And Molly McGee comes to a close

During the month, it was reported that Disney Channel axed both The Ghost And Molly McGee and Bunk'd with final episodes slated for 2023. Unlike Bunk'd, final episodes of The Ghost And Molly McGee was made available on some international Disney Channels before the United States.

Now we've recieved word from sources that these episodes will arrive in Africa from March 18 as a double from 16:05 CAT. Anticipated episodes for this season include Jinx Vs. The Human World and The End - we won't be sharing any spoilers.

Phil Nelson Named Executive Vice President Of CNN International Commercial

CNN Worldwide has appointed Phil Nelson to lead the network’s international business operations and its work with commercial partners outside of the United States.

As Executive Vice President of CNN International Commercial (CNNIC), Nelson is responsible for all international Advertising Sales, Content Sales & Licensing and Commercial Distribution revenue, as well as related client solutions functions including the award-winning Create brand studio and world-class digital and data operations. In this role, Nelson also works with partners across the Warner Bros. Discovery business on areas such as CNN International’s distribution strategy and collaboration on digital operations and ad sales to provide more opportunities for brand partners to access news and other genres across the portfolio. Nelson becomes part of CNN Worldwide’s leadership team and reports to the network’s Group Executive Vice President of Business Operations & Strategy, Chris Marlin.

As CNNIC’s Chief Operating Officer since 2019, Nelson led operational and international growth initiatives while managing advertising sales support functions. In that time he put in place the framework for CNNIC’s Audience First ad sales strategy, took CNN content onto new platforms, and grew the portfolio of CNN’s international affiliate business with broadcasters and publishers around the world as well as its commercial distribution footprint with hotels and airlines. Major initiatives in Nelson’s time at CNNIC to date include the introduction of CNN International onto Connected TV platforms in Europe, the launch of the CNN Apparel business in Asia, licensing the rights to Great Big Story, and the expansion of the CNN branded channel portfolio with additions including CNN Brasil, CNN Prima News and CNN Portugal.

Prior to joining CNN, Nelson was Managing Director, Turner North Asia and South East Asia Pacific, overseeing all aspects of Turner’s business in these regions. He had previously held other business development and strategic planning roles at Turner since joining in 2010 and has significant digital experience from his time at AOL, where he was Managing Director for AOL Asia. In addition, Nelson holds an MBA from Harvard University and, prior to entering the corporate sector, was a commander in the US Navy.

CNN is making additional key changes to CNNIC’s executive leadership team as it evolves its client offering:

• Cathy Ibal is named Senior Vice President, Advertising Sales, to oversee all CNN’s international advertising sales. A proven commercial leader with 22 years’ experience at CNN, Ibal has a track record of leading global teams and developing innovative advertising and brand solutions for a wide range of clients – from major luxury and blue chip brands to travel and tourism and other private and public sector partners

• Rob Bradley is appointed Senior Vice President, Digital Revenue, Strategy & Operations, with a remit that includes everything related to the digital ecosystem for CNNIC – revenue, operations and commercial strategy. In addition to his CNNIC role, Rob is part of the CNN Digital leadership team and will lead CNNIC’s collaboration with WBD’s international business operations on digital projects and utilising best practice in advertising technology and solutions

CNNIC’s sophisticated capabilities in creative, data, revenue strategy and client services are all being brought into one unit under the leadership of James Hunt, Senior Vice President, Global Client Solutions. This will include a joined up offering for partners across CNNIC’s award-winning Create Studio and the Audiences & Data unit along with client servicing, events and strategy functions.

“For journalism to flourish, it’s imperative that we have a robust effective commercial operation to fund the work that CNN does around the world every single day,” said Chris Licht, Chairman and Chief Executive of CNN Worldwide. “To that end, I am delighted that Phil and his executive team are taking the reins at CNNIC to lead us into a new era of working with our commercial partners.”

“CNNIC has an incredible track record in unlocking value for both CNN and our commercial partners across a wide range of sectors,” said Phil Nelson. “As we look to the future, we are creating new ways for partners to work with CNN that enable advertisers to engage with our audiences wherever they consume CNN and for broadcasters, publishers, Out of Home partners and platforms to access and leverage our world-renowned content and journalism. In a fast-changing media landscape, we are combining the best of CNN’s content and commercial offering in an innovative way that reflects client and market needs as well as audience expectations.”

Laila Harrak Joins CNN International

Laila Harrak is joining CNN International as an anchor at the network’s headquarters in Atlanta. She will anchor Europe morning editions of CNN Newsroom on Saturday and Sunday as well as weekday news programs.

Harrak comes to CNN International from Germany’s international broadcaster Deutsche Welle, where she spent nine years as an anchor for the network’s Berlin-based world news broadcasts. Most recently she played a pivotal part in its extensive coverage of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, interviewing decision-makers, activists and humanitarians while also focusing on Germany’s response to the war.

Before joining Deutsche Welle, Harrak spent 10 years with the Associated Press, covering the European Union, NATO, war crime tribunals in The Hague, and major stories across the Middle East, West Africa, and in Kosovo.

She began her career in 2001 as an intern for CNN in New York before moving to the Associated Press bureau in Paris.

Harrak studied American Studies at the University of Amsterdam and English at Leiden University. She also attended the School of Journalism at New York University and the department of Linguistics and Comparative Cultural Studies at Università Ca' Foscari Venezia in Italy as part of the EU’s Erasmus program.

Born and raised in The Netherlands, Harrak spent part of her childhood in Tangier, Morocco. She speaks English, Dutch, Arabic, French, German and conversational Italian.

CNN+ And HBO Max To Be Reduced To A Tile On Warner Bros. Discovery's Revamped Streaming Service In 2023

These past months, Warner Bros. Discovery has been scaling back on content investment so to save themselves some extra cash. They've scrapped several HBO Max productions like Gordita Chronicles, Little Ellen, Batgirl and Scoob: Holiday Haunt while some of the linear channels scale back on original programming.

As mentioned in Warner Bros. Discovery's earning call, HBO Max and Discovery+ will merge into one single streaming service and with these cutbacks from Warner's side as opposed to Discovery. The streaming service is said to hold more HBO than Discovery as HBO will be managing most if not all the content under a single tile.

Of course, these won't have as much affect on Cartoon Network as it will likely get its own tile on the merged streaming service same with Adult Swim if anything I'm expecting Cartoonito under CN's tile with Boomerang doing just Boomerang.

Warner Bros. Discovery attempted to spun off CNN as an independent brand with the launch of the short-lived streaming service CNN+ which has apparently been revived on Discovery+ and not HBO Max since the content is unscripted which the streamer lacks.

When Discovery+ and HBO Max eventually merge by 2023, CNN will form a tile on the streamer despite housing unscripted entertainment the platform very much unifies their offering from the rest of Warner Bros. Discovery's portfolio as ID has a lawnmower while CNN has a tractor with TLC living in a palace with CNN owning a resort with 5 star resort.

South Africa hasn't got access to any of these streamers seen with Netflix, The Walt Disney Company's Disney+, MultiChoice's Showmax and eMedia's eVOD but Europe will get it by early 2024 with Asia Pacific occupying the middle with Africa likely to get it close to the end of that year or early 2025.

Isa Soares Tonight Launch On CNN International

CNN International launch a new global news hour, anchored by Emmy Award-winning journalist Isa Soares, to its European prime time lineup from Monday, 4 July. Isa Soares Tonight will broadcast live from CNN’s EMEA headquarters in London, weeknights at 7pm BST/8pm CET.

Drawing on Soares’s experience in the field, Isa Soares Tonight will cover the most pressing global issues across politics, business and culture. The nightly programme will bring together CNN’s world-class journalists with top newsmakers and experts to help viewers navigate the complex events shaping our present and our future.

A Portuguese native, as well as a fluent Spanish speaker, Soares’s language skills have been brought to bear in her reporting from Latin America and Southern Europe, and most recently she has played a key role in CNN’s on-the-ground coverage of the war in Ukraine.

 

“For more than 20 years I’ve had the privilege of reporting history and shining a light on humanity, covering the pain and sacrifice that comes with some of the most heart-wrenching stories of our times,” Soares said. “From Venezuela to Colombia and Spain to Ukraine, I’ve traveled the world to give a voice to the voiceless, driven partly by my personal links across the continents. With Isa Soares Tonight I will continue holding those in power to account and help shape an honest, smart and in-depth news programme at a time of great uncertainty and division.” 

Additionally, CNN International is enhancing its European breakfast programming with the launch of CNN Newsroom with Max Foster at 9am BST/10am CET. Airing around the world on both CNN International and CNN/US, CNN Newsroom will build on Foster’s experience covering major stories in the UK and across Europe and his unique access to some of the biggest names in European politics and culture.

“With the launch of Isa Soares Tonight and move of CNN Newsroom with Max Foster, CNN International is putting our European audience at the centre of our refreshed evening and morning lineups,” said Meara Erdozain, senior vice president of programming for CNN International. “Isa and Max are both exceptional, highly-experienced journalists with unique perspectives on the stories that resonate with audiences in Europe and beyond. Their warm, engaging style and empathetic storytelling will help lead viewers through the key news of the day.”

After A Month, Warner Bros. Discovery Scraps CNN+ And Merges It With HBO Max And Discovery+

CNN+, the streaming service that was hyped as one of the most significant developments in the history of CNN, will shut down on April 30, just one month after it launched.

CNN+ customers "will receive prorated refunds of subscription fees," the company said.

The decision was made by new management after CNN's former parent company, WarnerMedia, merged with Discovery to form Warner Bros. Discovery earlier this month.

 

The prior management team's vision for CNN+ runs counter to Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav's plan to house all of the company's brands under one streaming service. Some CNN+ programming may eventually live on through that service. Other programming will shift to CNN's main television network.

"In a complex streaming market, consumers want simplicity and an all-in service which provides a better experience and more value than stand-alone offerings, and, for the company, a more sustainable business model to drive our future investments in great journalism and storytelling," Discovery's streaming boss J.B. Perrette said in a statement.

"We have very exciting opportunities ahead in the streaming space and CNN, one of the world's premier reputational assets, will play an important role there," Perrette added.

 

Perrette and incoming CNN CEO Chris Licht notified staffers of the decision in a meeting on Thursday afternoon. Licht bluntly told employees it was a "uniquely shitty situation."

Hundreds of CNN+ staffers may lose their jobs. Licht said in an internal memo that "all CNN+ employees will continue to be paid and receive benefits for the next 90 days to explore opportunities at CNN, CNN Digital and elsewhere in the Warner Bros. Discovery family."

Staffers who aren't absorbed elsewhere in the company will receive a minimum of six months of severance, he added.

An agent for one CNN+ host, who was set to anchor a weekly show on the streaming service, described their client's program at the network as facing an uncertain future. "It's all TBD," the person said.

 

But the agent added that the network has gone out of its way to make clear that it is committed to finding roles for CNN+ hosts.

Licht said in a town hall style meeting with staffers that "this was an incredibly successful launch" but simply incompatible with the newly merged company's plans.

"It is not your fault that you had the rug pulled out from underneath you," he said as he vowed to minimize the impacts to staff.

One CNN+ staffer at the town hall described the sentiment as "total and utter shock" that morphed into despair.

"At first people were really freaking out," explained the person, who requested anonymity to candidly describe the situation. "And then, toward the end of the meeting, it just turned to sadness. Every team was just huddling with each other."

 

During the town hall, Perrette expressed some frustration with the "prior leadership" of CNN, which was led by Jeff Zucker until February, and WarnerMedia, which was led by Jason Kilar until early April.

"Some of this was avoidable," he said, but "prior leadership decided to just keep going" with the planned March launch of CNN+ despite the impending merger, he said.

The streaming service ended up launching just two weeks before the WarnerMedia-Discovery merger completed, much to the exasperation of Discovery leadership, which had a different strategy but could not legally communicate with CNN executives before the deal was official.

 

Warner Bros. Discovery has billions in debt, much of which is a result of the deal to combine the company, and executives are under pressure to find $3 billion in savings that Wall Street is expecting from them.

The executive vice president in charge of CNN+ and all of CNN's digital businesses, Andrew Morse, who worked closely with Kilar and Zucker, will depart the company after a transition period.

In a note to employees, Morse described his nine years at CNN as an "incredible ride" and said, "As the company enters an exciting period of change, it's clear that the vision the new leadership has for the future is different than the one we've had. That's OK. That's all part of change."

Licht said in the town hall that he wanted Morse to stay, but respected the decision.

 

Alex MacCallum, the head of product and general manager of CNN+, will run CNN Digital and work with Licht "to determine a leadership strategy going forward," the company said in a press release.

On Thursday afternoon, CNN+ employees housed on the 16th floor of Hudson Yards, the network's New York headquarters, broke out whiskey and wine to commiserate.

The decision to shut down CNN+ just weeks after it launched marked a stunning end to the streaming news service. Executives had touted the application as the most significant launch since Ted Turner founded CNN in 1980.

CNN had poured hundreds of millions of dollars into the new streaming app and lured top talent from other networks for it, including Kasie Hunt from NBC and Chris Wallace from Fox News.

The streaming service featured hours of daily live programming and weekly shows.

That programming will continue to stream through the end of the month.

Serena Williams Is ‘Not Giving Up’ On Grand Slam Record Chase

In an interview with CNN’s Christiane Amanpour, 23-time grand slam champion Serena Williams talks about her rise to tennis stardom, changing the narrative around her father, overcoming racism in tennis and the double standards that exist within the sport.

“I should have been at like 30 or 32” [grand slam singles titles]…I should have had it [the record], really, I've had many opportunities to have it. But I'm not giving up,” Williams tells CNN, and says she’s still aiming to beat Margaret Court’s record of 24.

Although she was forced to miss January’s Australian Open following the advice of her medical team, Williams says she will play at the French Open in May if her body allows.

Williams tells CNN how they aimed to change the narrative that has been grown up about their dad, Richard Williams, through the Hollywood film “King Richard,” which Williams and her sister Venus executive produced.

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“Unfortunately, entering a new sport where it's predominantly, you know, White and having my dad have like this villain character, when it just wasn’t true, just having to deal with that my entire career, from day one to the very end, was just really important for us just to tell the truth,” she says.

Williams also talks about how her and her sister overcame the racism that they experienced as tennis players in a predominantly White sport, saying: “We changed it from being two great Black champions to being the best ever, period. And that's what we did. We took out color, and we just became the best.”

Williams has been heavily criticised for showing anger with umpires on the court on different occasions.   Williams said: “There is absolutely a double standard,” given men routinely act out at umpires.

Lastly, she tells CNN: “I am who I am, I love who I am -- I love the impact that I’ve had on people, that I continue to have on people.”

Key quotes from the interview:

Williams on whether she’s still committed to beat Margaret Court’s record of 24 grand slam titles:

“I don't know, I still play tennis obviously and I still train and you know, but I think I'm the kind of person who's like, well, honestly, I should have been at like 30 or 32… I've had many opportunities to have it, but I'm not giving up to answer your question.”

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Williams on changing the narrative around her father, Richard Williams, through the Hollywood film “King Richard”:

“Unfortunately, entering a new sport where it's predominantly, you know, White and having my dad have like this villain character, when it just wasn’t true, just having to deal with that my entire career, from day one to the very end, was just really important for us just to tell the truth.”

“You know, in order to be an athlete, especially in a single sport, it takes a lot of work, and it takes a lot of dedication, and I look at my daughter and I say, wow, I don't think I could do what my dad did every single day. It's a lot of work.”

Williams on how her and her sister Venus perceived and overcame the racism they experienced in what is a predominantly White sport:

“We changed it from being two great Black champions to being the best ever, period. And that's what we did. We took out color, and we just became the best.”

“We never looked at it as a color thing, or we knew that we were entering an all-white sport, but for us it was like we're entering tennis and we're here to win. And yeah, we had to play harder and we had to be better, but it made us better. And at the end of the day, every time we faced a challenge and every time we overcame that challenge, it created Venus and Serena.”

Williams on the impact she has had on people throughout her career and her passion for what she does now:

“I am who I am and I love who I am, and I love the impact that I've had on people. I love the impact that I continue to have on people. Now the impact that I can have on people through companies that I invest in and having an opportunity to invest in women and people of color, and that is, if I didn't have the passion that I have on the tennis court, I wouldn't have passion for what I do now, and I accept it and I'm excited to continue to have that passion.”

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Netflix And CNN International Pull Out Off Russia With More International Businesses Likely To Follow

Netflix and possibly various other streamers halt services in Russia

Earlier this week, the streaming service had announced that it would pause all future projects and acquisitions from Russia, joining a growing list of companies that have cut ties with the country. Netflix had four Russian originals in the works, including a crime thriller series directed by Dasha Zhuk, which was shooting and has since been put on hold. Netflix also recently refused to carry 20 Russian free-to-air propaganda channels that it was required to host under Russian law.

Now, the company is taking an additional step in shutting down its service entirely.

“Given the circumstances on the ground, we have decided to suspend our service in Russia,” a spokesperson for Netflix said.

The economic blowback that Russia has faced in the wake of its decision to go to war with Ukraine has been intense. Not only is the country grappling with extensive sanctions, but many corporations and organizations have pulled out of Russia. Companies like Microsoft, Apple and Dell have announced that they have suspended sales in the country, while Ikea has closed stores and Nike has said it will no longer fulfill online orders. On the entertainment front, all of the major studios have announced they will stop releasing their films in Russia.

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CNN International, Bloomberg and various other news channels halt production in Russia

Global news media said they were temporarily suspending reporting in Russia to protect their journalists after a new law cracking down on foreign news outlets was passed that threatened jail terms of up to 15 years for spreading “fake news”.

BBC said on Friday it had temporarily halted reporting in Russia, and by the end of the day, the Canadian Broadcasting Company and Bloomberg News said their journalists were also stopping work. CNN and CBS News said they would stop broadcasting in Russia, and other outlets removed Russian-based journalists’ bylines as they assessed the situation.

Not long ago, sanctions imposed on Russia by the European Union had led to the global distributor of Russia Today to halt broadcast of the channel to all suppliers, including MultiChoice and TelkomOne.

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You can also find me through the other platforms by pressing this link in brackets and if you're struggling to share the article through certain platforms use this link (Lnk.Bio).

CNN Arabic Celebrates 20 Years With Audience Growth, New Partnerships And Editorial Focus On Stories Of Female Empowerment And Arab Youth

New research study shows CNN Arabic is the most trusted Arabic language news brand

This year, CNN Arabic is celebrating 20 years since it first went live in 2002 as a digital news service based out of Dubai Media City to tell stories for Arab audiences all over the world.

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Since then, CNN Arabic has cemented its position as the Arab world’s leading independent news platform. Standing for credible, authentic and factual reporting with a global perspective, CNN Arabic has continued to evolve and innovate, delivering best in class content from CNN’s network of journalists in the Middle East and across the globe.

CNN Arabic recently capped off its biggest year ever in 2021 in daily audience, which has grown by over 150%* in the last six years due to a rich mix of mobile first video, interactive and written news, delivered to Arabic speaking digital audiences worldwide looking for independent and credible journalism.

Alongside CNN’s English and Spanish output, CNN Arabic reaches audiences who speak one of the world’s most widely spoken languages. It is a key part of CNN’s portfolio of digital products and services, that all combined reach an average monthly global audience of 185 million users**. 

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A recently commissioned independent study by CNN*** ranks CNN Arabic against a competitor set as the #1 provider for those who consume news in Arabic and English language from the US and the Middle East. At a time when surveys of Arabic audiences**** show high levels of distrust in news, particular on social media, CNN Arabic has high levels of trust, scoring over three times of the average trust rating***.

“When we launched CNN Arabic 20 years ago, I don’t think anyone envisaged the changes the world would go through over the following two decades,” said Rani Raad, President, CNN Worldwide Commercial. “In that time, the role that the Arabic speaking world plays on the global geo-political landscape has changed significantly, and the UAE, where CNN Arabic is based, has developed as a major strategic player in the global economy. The role of responsible and accurate news brands has become even more important in a world awash with misinformation, and we will continue to serve Arabic speaking audiences around the world with the news they need to inform the most important decisions in their lives.”

To celebrate this milestone in CNN Arabic’s history, the 20th anniversary year kicks off with three new major multi-year partnerships that focus on timely and important topics in the Arab world. CNN Arabic will put the spotlight on stories of female empowerment across business, society, politics and culture, and the continued development of Arab youth and how they are pushing boundaries and reshaping and defining their world.

The partnership with UN Women in the Arab States will combine UN Women’s technical expertise with CNN Arabic’s unique position as a powerful media house with widespread reach. Together they will develop an evidence-based strategy across editorial output, events and other projects to support the acceleration of gender equality, financial inclusion and female employment throughout the Arab world.

The partnership with the Abdulla Al Ghurair Foundation for Education will see CNN Arabic upskill Emirati and Arab youth over three years with essential competencies to enable them to achieve greater success in the future of work and the sustainability of the UAE and beyond.

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In addition, CNN Arabic is embarking on a partnership with Sharjah Press Club to train young journalists over the next three years in a range of areas covering multi-media news and content production. The training will also extend to teaching teenagers about use of social media and identifying misinformation.

“We are incredibly proud to have provided independent news with a global perspective to Arab audiences for 20 years now,” said Caroline Faraj, Vice President of Arabic Services at CNN, who has led CNN Arabic since its inception, and in 2021 was named winner of the media category in the Arab Women of the Year Awards. “However, we never want to stand still – as a digital news service from the very outset, it’s in our DNA to always evolve and experiment in order to remain relevant as people’s news habits continue to change. Looking ahead, as we enter our 21st year, people can expect CNN Arabic to tell important stories, particularly around female empowerment and the Arab youth, in new, dynamic ways with editorial content underpinned and informed by the new partnerships we are announcing with UN Women in the Arab States, Al Ghurair Foundation and the Sharjah Press Club.”

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