Not all of CNN’s election night coverage will take place on its familiar cable network.
The media supported by Warner Bros. Discovery will make a piece aimed at a younger digital audience with a “live stream” on its new subscription-based “All Access” streamer, and the show will not be available to viewers who only watch traditional television. During the show, moderator Harry Enten will lead a panel that includes, among others, provocative radio host Charlamagne Tha God, conservative podcaster and author Ben Shapiro and technology journalist Kara Swisher. The group won’t sit behind a desk, but instead hang out on couches and discuss voting results over food and drinks.
“We’re excited to build on CNN’s best-in-class election coverage and deliver a unique, more casual experience to subscribers of CNN’s new streaming service,” said Abigail Crutchfield, CNN’s senior vice president of Washington and special events programming, who is leading the project. The goal of this program, which looks very different from traditional CNN fare, is to give streaming audiences unfiltered access to raw, intelligent and engaging conversation with some of the biggest voices in media as the results unfold.
The Election Night streaming special will air between 8:30 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. Eastern Time on “All Access,” which can be viewed on CNN.com, CNN’s mobile apps and its counterparts on connected TV devices.
Election night on CNN has for years meant spending hours with anchors like John King, Wolf Blitzer and Jake Tapper — and it always will. But CNN, which under CEO Mark Thompson is making a concerted effort to attract viewers who still want the news, appears poised to craft more nontraditional programs that will flow through different types of connections.
CNN launched a new “All Access” subscription tier earlier this week that relies on a broadband connection. The new service serves CNN’s linear feed, but also offers new ways to follow the news, less dependent on familiar TV formats tied to talent and time slots. Subscribers can stay up to date on trending topics by clicking through a collection of CNN reports on specific scenarios. In recent days, CNN has released some of its most compelling stories — including an investigation into missing journalist Austin Tice led by foreign correspondent Clarissa Ward — on the streaming channel, where viewers can watch them at a time of their choosing.
Others tested new formats on the eve of an election in order to attract broadband enthusiasts. During the 2024 election, Amazon’s Prime Video tapped Brian Williams to moderate an election night packed with conversations with a large crowd of journalists, influencers, and hangers-on. The audience included Candy Crowley, the former host of CNN’s “State of the Union”; Abby Huntsman, former Fox News host and panelist on ABC’s “The View”; CNN and ABC News veteran Jessica Yellin; Shep Smith, known for his long tenure on Fox News and short tenure on CNBC; and Poppy Harlow, the former CNN anchor, who delivered her observations from Paris.
What’s driving all these news experiences? Headline aficionados have an almost infinite choice of information and analysis, thanks to the spread of social media and the rise of independent creators who offer their expertise via newsletter or video podcast. Pew Research found in September that 56% of American adults often use digital devices for news, compared to 32% who cite television the same way. who say they do it often. The numbers suggest that news sources continue to divide: in 2020, Pew found that 60% of American adults often used digital devices for news, compared to 40% who often used television.
So-called “alternative shows” are all the rage on sports television. For example, ESPN broke new ground by having Peyton and Eli Manning host a casual show with a “hang out” feel on ESPN2 in which the football brothers analyze the “Monday Night Football” game broadcast more formally on ESPN. Amazon’s Prime Video offers several different versions of its “Thursday Night Football” TV show. During the 2024 Paris Olympics, NBC Sports offered viewers of its Peacock streamer a “Gold Zone” option that took them to various moments live in a “whipped” fashion more associated with the NFL’s “Red Zone” network.
Election night on CNN’s “All Access” promises to be a little louder than its traditional television counterpart. CNN has brought in some contributors who have decidedly partisan leanings and are more accustomed to hot-button storylines. Other guests include Isabel Brown, who hosts “The Isabel Brown Show” with conservative outlet Daily Wire and examines Gen Z politics, and Ana Kasparian, executive producer of “The Young Turks,” a show infused with a progressive view on politics. Chances are even Van Jones and Scott Jennings won’t get into the froth that one might expect from such commentators.
