Air travelers will no longer receive their news from CNN.
CNN chief Jeff Zucker said Tuesday that the cable giant is blocking its CNN airport network, which is played exclusively on TVs in U.S. airport lounges.
The network, launched 30 years ago, will close the store on March 31, Zucker wrote in a note to staff, citing a “sharp decline” in use due to the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the fact that now there are more travelers news from their smartphones.
“The sharp decline in airport traffic due to COVID-19, along with all the new ways people consume content on their personal devices, has reduced the need for CNN’s airport network,” Zucker said. “Having to say goodbye to such a beloved brand is not easy … I’m sure most of us have a story to tell about what airport we were at when we first met a big news event.”
Launched in January 1992, the network airs at 58 U.S. airports and includes 24-hour, 7-a-week news programming from CNN and HLN, as well as entertainment programs from sister channels such as Cartoon Network. TBS and HBO.