CNN Quietly Rolls Out Its First Subscriber-Exclusive Content: Short-Form Documentaries

Earlier this week, CNN launched a digital paywall in a major strategic shift to its business strategy.

At the time, CNN executive vp of digital products and services Alex MacCallum wrote to staff that "in addition to unlimited access to CNN.com's s, subscribers will receive benefits like exclusive election features, original documentaries, a curated daily selection of our most distinctive journalism, and fewer digital ads."

That exclusive content, it turns out, was closer than some may have been expecting.

On Friday, CNN released a short-form documentary (a "Flash Doc" in its parlance) called The Masculinity Campaign, as an exclusive for CNN digital subscribers. The first of what is expected to be a regular cadence of exclusive video content for paying CNN users.

The Masculinity Campaign "looks at how masculinity has always been on the ballot – even when a woman is running."

The doc was given prominent placement on the CNN.com homepage Friday, with a tag that notes that it is "for subscribers."

According to CNN, the Flash Docs unit will develop a series of documentaries 10 minutes in length or shorter times to take advantage of news or moments that are in the zeitgeist, betting that they will resonate with the digital, largely mobile-first audience.

CNN digital subscribers will also have access to a library of documentary projects (both shortform and longform) from the unit, including features about Taylor Swift, Serena Williams, and others.

The news organization is expected to roll out other content over the coming weeks and months created specifically for subscribers, looking to see what clicks and sticks. As CNN leans into its digital subscription business as a growth strategy, it will need to ramp up its exclusive offerings and figure out where its strengths lie.