Top of the Ticker: CNN is getting into the Broadway market for the first time ever. The network announced that it will air a live version of George Clooney‘s Tony-nominated stage adaptation of his Oscar-nominated 2005 film, Good Night, and Good Luck. The penultimate performance of the play’s run will air across CNN, CNN International, and streaming on CNN.com on Saturday, June 7 at 7 p.m. ET for a global audience. Clooney plays legendary broadcaster and journalist Edward R. Murrow, who dedicates himself to questioning Sen. Joseph McCarthy‘s notorious Red Scare tactics despite the threat to his own career.
CNN will exclusively air live George Clooney’s five-time Tony® nominated Broadway play “Good Night, And Good Luck” on Saturday, June 7 at 7pm ET across CNN platforms. This announcement marks a historic Broadway first: never before has a live play ever been televised.… pic.twitter.com/WmTZnsw1db
— CNN Communications (@CNNPR) May 15, 2025
CNN also unveiled an expansive CNN Originals programming slate for the 2025-26 season during Warner Bros. Discovery’s upfront presentation. The network is adding to its Searching For franchise with Eva Longoria: Searching for France and also introducing the new food and travel series, Tony Shalhoub: Breaking Bread. Coming soon are New Orleans, the relaunch of the Decades series with Decades in Sports, and This Land is Your Land. The network also picked up Have I Got News For You for a third season, premiering on Saturday, September 6 at 9 p.m. ET.
Additionally, CNN Films will produce two new documentary features: I’m Chevy Chase and You’re Not about the Saturday Night Live star, and In the Prime of Life, which explores the rise of cancers in adults under 50.
Today CNN unveiled highlights of the new premium nonfiction content from CNN Originals for 2025-2026 as part of the @wbd upfront presentation. The full announcement is linked here or read on for a sneak peek of what’s coming 🧵 https://t.co/ah7IrZgMd7 pic.twitter.com/69X0x1qIqq
— CNN Communications (@CNNPR) May 14, 2025
C-SPAN Challenges: C-SPAN’s operational future may be in jeopardy as the network has still not secured distribution access on pay TV services like YouTube TV and Hulu. According to Vanity Fair, C-SPAN—which relies on fees acquired from cable and satellite providers—has seen its household penetration dwindle from 100 million to 51 million today homes, as its expenses are expected to exceed its revenue by $8 million this year. The decline has eroded much of its operational income as it charges 7.25 cents per household per month. Getting picked up by streaming services could alleviate revenue shortfalls and bring C-SPAN to new audiences.
