CNN+, which launched on Tuesday, has created a new documentary unit to produce quick turnaround documentaries.
The first from the CNN+FLASHDocs unit, Chicago vs. Jussie Smollett, will look at the actor’s recent case, and will debut on Friday on demand.
Katie Hinman, vice president of program development for CNN, said in a statement that the unit will be “a way for CNN+ to tackle to stories shaping pop culture while contextualizing them with fresh reporting and nuanced voices.” The Smollett documentary features interviews with the actor’s brothers, JoJo and Jocqui, as well as former Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie T. Johnson, special prosecutor Dan Webb, Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx and Smollett’s defense attorneys Tamara Walker and Heather Widell. Eric Johnson, executive producer, program development for CNN is EP on the project and Emily Taguchi is supervising producer.
CNN+ launched on Amazon Fire TV, Android phones and tablets and Apple devices, but missing from its distribution is one of the biggest of all streaming devices: Roku.
The new service has been doing WarnerMedia cross promotion. HBOMax on Wednesday posted a promotional link for CNN+ on its interface, with a sampling of some of its lifestyle and documentary programming. The plans are for an offering of a subscription bundle later this year.