{"id":668313,"date":"2026-05-27T15:49:13","date_gmt":"2026-05-27T15:49:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/668313\/"},"modified":"2026-05-27T15:49:13","modified_gmt":"2026-05-27T15:49:13","slug":"cnn-quietly-planning-major-change-involving-newsnight-host-abby-phillip","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/668313\/","title":{"rendered":"CNN quietly planning major change involving ‘NewsNight’ host Abby Phillip"},"content":{"rendered":"

CNN is quietly testing a new streaming talk show hosted by primetime anchor Abby Phillip <\/a>that would mark a sharp departure from the network\u2019s heavily political programming, according to a report.<\/p>\n

The project, first reported by Status<\/a>, is tentatively titled \u201cConfessions and Obsessions\u201d and is being developed for CNN\u2019s streaming platform as part of a broader push to experiment with new formats beyond hard news coverage.<\/p>\n

The proposed show would feature a rotating roundtable of guests who each arrive with what the working concept describes as a personal \u201cconfession\u201d and an \u201cobsession,\u201d according to the Status report.<\/p>\n

Abby Phillip is reportedly developing a new CNN streaming show tentatively titled \u201cConfessions and Obsessions.\u201d FilmMagic<\/p>\n

Unlike Phillip\u2019s nightly CNN program \u201cNewsNight,\u201d<\/a> the streaming project is not expected to focus squarely on politics, signaling the network\u2019s continued effort to broaden its programming mix as it tries to attract digital audiences and younger viewers, Status reported.<\/p>\n

The show remains in development and has not been finalized, according to the report, meaning the title, format and launch plans could still change.<\/p>\n

The Post has sought comment from CNN.<\/p>\n

Phillip currently anchors \u201cNewsNight with Abby Phillip,\u201d the network\u2019s 10 p.m. panel show, which has become one of CNN\u2019s stronger performers in the key advertiser-coveted adults 25-54 demographic.<\/p>\n

The Harvard-educated journalist joined CNN in 2017 after stints at Politico, ABC News and the Washington Post, later rising through the network as a White House correspondent before taking over the primetime slot in 2023.<\/p>\n

CNN launched its latest streaming effort last year after the spectacular collapse<\/a> of CNN+, the short-lived standalone streaming service that was shut down in 2022 just weeks after launch following the Warner Bros. Discovery merger.<\/p>\n

Phillip is said to be testing a new non-political streaming program for the network\u2019s digital platform. CNN\/Youtube<\/p>\n

Under CEO Mark Thompson, CNN has been investing heavily in digital products and streaming video as traditional cable television audiences continue to erode across the news industry.<\/p>\n

The network has also sought to diversify its talent lineup and experiment with personality-driven programming that extends beyond conventional political analysis.<\/p>\n

Phillip, 37, has emerged as one of CNN\u2019s most prominent anchors.<\/p>\n

Phillip with fellow CNN primetime anchors Kaitlan Collins (far left) and Anderson Cooper. Getty Images for Warner Bros. Discovery<\/p>\n

The possible expansion of Phillip\u2019s role comes as CNN faces mounting competition not only from rival cable networks Fox News and MSNBC, but also from podcasts, YouTube creators and independent media personalities who increasingly dominate online conversation.<\/p>\n

Fox News\u2019 \u201cGutfeld!\u201d is averaging nearly 3 million total viewers year-to-date, dramatically outperforming CNN\u2019s \u201cNewsNight with Abby Phillip\u201d in the competitive 10 p.m. hour, according to Nielsen data.<\/p>\n

From Dec. 29, 2025 through May 20, 2026, \u201cGutfeld!\u201d averaged 2.969 million total viewers and 341,000 viewers in the advertiser-coveted adults 25-54 demographic during the 10 p.m. to 11 p.m. weekday slot.<\/p>\n

By comparison, CNN averaged 821,000 total viewers and 177,000 viewers in the key demo during the same period, according to the figures.<\/p>\n

\u201cGutfeld!\u201d also outperformed CNN\u2019s entire primetime lineup combined in both total viewers and the key demo.<\/p>\n

Fox News shares common ownership with The Post.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"CNN is quietly testing a new streaming talk show hosted by primetime anchor Abby Phillip that would mark…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":668314,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[54],"tags":[15284,88,151289,10815,7382,92],"class_list":["post-668313","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-tv","tag-cnn","tag-entertainment","tag-mark-thompson","tag-media","tag-streaming","tag-tv"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/668313","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=668313"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/668313\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/668314"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=668313"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=668313"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=668313"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}