‘Too few people subscribed’ to CNN Pipeline

In a note posted on CNN.com’s Behind the Scenes blog, CNN.com SVP and GM David Payne thanks Pipeline’s paying subscribers and explains why the site is switching to a free video strategy. “As popular as the service was, it became clear to us that reaching true scale was going to be impossible if the product remained a pay service,” he writes. “Remember that our entire mission is about getting more news to more people on more platforms, and too few people actually subscribed for us to meet that goal.” Payne also described the benefits of the embedded player environment. CNN.com switches to free video next week.