CNN accidentally sent welcome baskets to employees who were laid off after the CNN+

CNN accidentally sent welcome baskets to employees who had been laid off after the CNN+ streaming service flopped

submited by

Style Pass

2022-05-15 02:00:07

CNN accidentally sent welcome baskets to employees who were laid off after the CNN+ streaming service shuttered.

The paid streaming subscription service launched on March 29 and announced it was shutting down on April 21, Insider previously reported.

A week later, hundreds of laid-off staffers received welcome gifts, some of which had encouraging notes attached, according to the Wall Street Journal.

"This is an incredible time to be part of CNN," one note said, per WSJ. "Build relationships and take time to connect with colleagues and learn so that you make the most of your time here."

CNN told WSJ the baskets – which included branded gear, pens, headphones, and a popcorn maker – were sent by mistake.

CNN spent as much as $250 million on the launch and saw meager audience engagement out of the gate, never surpassing 10,000 viewers at any given time, per CNBC.