Six Months In, CNN’s Great Big Story Is Ready To Jump To TV

Last October, CNN funded Great Big Story (GBS), a video platform that offers curious video pieces to the viewers that visit it across its distribution network. At the time, GBS drew a lot of comparisons to Vice, and now, just like Vice, it is headed to TV. At its NewFronts presentation, CNN President Jeff Zucker announced GBS’ first two TV programs.

As Zucker tells it, GBS has been well-positioned to jump to TV since its launch, thanks to the backing it receives from CNN and Turner. The first place where GBS will make its jump is on The Weather Channel, where it will launch a show called That’s Amazing. Across eight hour-long episodes, GBS’ producers will discuss surprising and unusual natural phenomena. In addition to that program, GBS is also planning The Great Big Show, which will present its digital content on terrestrial stations. The specific partner channel for that program has not yet been announced.

At its heart, though, GBS is still a digital network first and foremost, and while it expands to TV, it will also produce plenty of new web content. It will bring the wisdom of Willie Nelson to a new audience with Hey Willie, will discover Hidden Gems alongside Chris Funk of The Decemberists, and launch its first VR original program with a travel show called Take Me There.

These programs, combined with the other narrative content GBS will produce, will help the company build on the success it has already seen in its first six months. According to Zucker, GBS now gets 40 million video views per month.