CBC News is launching a free streaming channel in the fall, with a daily news show led by The National‘s Andrew Chang as its flagship program, the public broadcaster announced Thursday.
The channel will be ad supported and available to stream 24/7, according to a press release. Chang will step back from The National in August, with co-anchor Adrienne Arsenault taking over hosting duties from Monday to Thursday under a new title, chief correspondent for CBC News.
CBC News editor in chief Brodie Fenlon said the channel will offer the best of CBC’s journalism, with the aim of reaching a younger audience that has migrated to streaming.
“It will include things like The National and other original programs like The Fifth Estate and Marketplace,” he said. “It will include bundled stories that appear across the country and are put together around certain themes and will include some original programs.”
Fenlon said the channel will be distinct from CBC News Network, with an emphasis on long-form content and stories that have a longer shelf life.
“Part of this streaming strategy actually began by us noticing more than a year ago that a lot of people were watching The National at night on a connected TV, so they were streaming it rather than through traditional cable.”
Ian Hanomansing is the new permanent host of Cross Country Checkup and will continue to host The National on Friday and Sunday.
The news comes a week after the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission renewed CBC’s licensing agreement for an additional five years.
