About CNN International

CNN International (CNNI) is an English language television network that is commonly referred to as CNN and carries news, current affairs and business programming world-wide. It is owned by Time Warner, and is affiliated and shares much content with CNN, which is limited to the United States and Canada.

 It is available in most of the world, distributed via satellite, cable and IPTV. Its international reach is more than 200 million households and hotel rooms in over 200 countries. For most viewers it is free-to-air, however some pay TV companies include it in their pay TV bouquets, or issue a virtual channel to the FTA version gone the same satellite. In addition, it is free to watch online, when available, via CNN's webpage. Its main global competitor is BBC World News, which has around double CNN's international viewership and employs many more correspondents and reporters, as well as having more international bureaus.

The network, in large part a result of Ted Turner's internationalist ideals, began transmissions in 1985, at first primarily broadcasting to American business travelers in hotels. The early studios in Atlanta were tucked away in various corners of the CNN Center, and the newsroom lacked even a digital clock. The vast majority of the network's programming originally consisted of simulcasts of the two domestic CNN channels (CNN/US and Headline News). In 1992, however, the amount of news programming produced by CNNI especially for international viewers increased significantly. A major new newsroom and studio complex was built in 1994, as CNN decided to compete against BBC World Service Television's news programming. CNNI emerged as an internationally oriented news channel, with staff members of various national backgrounds, even though some accusations of a pro-U.S. editorial bias persist. CNN International was awarded the Liberty Medal on July 4, 1997. Ted Turner, in accepting the medal on behalf of the network, said: "My idea was, we’re just going to give people the facts…We didn’t have to show liberty and democracy as good, and show socialism or totalitarianism as bad. If we just showed them both the way they were…clearly everybody’s going to choose liberty and democracy."

In 1998, creative director Morgan Almeida began slowly branding the network, starting with creating a series of channel idents which made its on-air look less overtly American and with a more "international" aesthetic. The network undertook a major rebranding effort in 2006 overseen by the award winning creative vision of Mark Wright. Gone are the brash multi-colored headlines and in place are sleek, modern lines with its un-cluttered screen and smart navigational design, the network is modern, bold and stands out in an over-crowded TV landscape. The re-brand was a true testament to the forward thinking and pioneering spirit CNN is known for. CNN is now the second most watched news channel in the world and is noted for its journalistic integrity, and its independent news agenda, free from the influence of governments, state broadcasting systems, narrow national agendas and mono-cultural viewpoints.

In the U.S., CNNI North America was distributed during overnights and weekends on the CNNfn financial channel, until that channel's demise in December 2004. It is now available in its own right on a limited basis, mostly as part of digital packages of cable operators including Time Warner Cable and Verizon FiOS.