Skip to main content

CNN cancels its Snapchat-specific show ‘The Update’ after just 4 months

It seems like just yesterday that CNN launched its own Snapchat-specific show. The Update was barely four months old, but apparently, four months was all CNN required to decide that the show needed an update of its own — or rather, a permanent downgrade.

That’s right, friends — as originally reported by the Wall Street Journal, CNN has canceled its daily bite-sized news show on the social media platform “after coming to the realization there wasn’t a clear enough path to make money,” according to WSJ’s sources. This might herald some concerning news for Snapchat as a whole, as CNN was one of the company’s launch partners for its Discover media platform, offering the TV-style show to news-hungry Snapchat users. But perhaps the problem is that such a demographic … doesn’t really exist.

Recommended Videos

The decision to end the program may come as a surprise to some, as The Update initially appeared to be quite a popular idea. Upon launch, Snapchat’s senior director of content programming said in a statement, “It’s more critical than ever that Snapchatters have access to the best journalism in the world, right when news breaks, and we’re excited to watch CNN deliver that to them through The Update.

And as Mashable noted, the show seemed to have its fans — for example, AdWeek called CNN one of the “hottest” online publishers, noting in particular its mastery of various media forms, including Snapchat.

“Snap and CNN have built a great partnership over the years and our teams have enormous admiration for each other,” the two companies confirmed in a joint statement. “We plan to keep working together and mutually decided to hit pause as we explore the best opportunities for doing that.”

While CNN may not have been able to make its made-for-Snapchat show work, not all networks appear to be having the same problem. NBC, for example, has its own Stay Tuned show on the air at Snapchat, and back in September, claimed to have 30 million monthly views. ESPN is also betting on Snapchat, creating a more youthfully-targeted version of its perennially popular SportsCenter for the app. And even though CNN is pulling the plug on its original show, the network says that it will “continue to experiment on Snapchat.”

Lulu Chang
Fascinated by the effects of technology on human interaction, Lulu believes that if her parents can use your new app…
Bluesky finally adds a feature many had been waiting for
A blue sky with clouds.

Bluesky has been making a lot of progress in recent months by simplifying the process to sign up while at the same time rolling out a steady stream of new features.

As part of those continuing efforts, the social media app has just announced that users can now send direct messages (DMs).

Read more
Reddit just achieved something for the first time in its 20-year history
The Reddit logo.

Reddit’s on a roll. The social media platform has just turned a profit for the first time in its 20-year history, and now boasts a record 97.2 million daily active users, marking a year-over-year increase of 47%. A few times during the quarter, the figure topped 100 million, which Reddit CEO and co-founder Steve Huffman said in a letter to shareholders had been a “long-standing milestone” for the site.

The company, which went public in March, announced the news in its third-quarter earnings results on Tuesday.

Read more
Worried about the TikTok ban? This is how it might look on your phone
TikTok splash screen on an Android phone.

The US Supreme Court has decided to uphold a law that would see TikTok banned in the country on January 19. Now, the platform has issued an official statement, confirming that it will indeed shut down unless it gets some emergency relief from the outgoing president.

“Unless the Biden Administration immediately provides a definitive statement to satisfy the most critical service providers assuring non-enforcement, unfortunately TikTok will be forced to go dark on January 19,” said the company soon after the court’s verdict.
So, what does going dark mean?
So, far, there is no official statement on what exactly TikTok means by “going dark.” There is a lot of speculation out there on how exactly the app or website will look once TikTok shutters in the US.

Read more