CBS News is overhauling its streaming news channel with a new name and a slate of programs presented by its big-name anchors that taps into the division's legacy.
The ViacomCBS unit announced Monday that the free ad-supported channel, known as CBSN since its launch in 2014, will become CBS News Streaming. It will also integrate the division's broadcast franchises into the channel -- a shift in strategy, as it previously relied heavily on a cadre of lesser-known anchors.
Neeraj Khemlani, president and co-head of CBS News and Stations, told the Los Angeles Times in an interview that the new moniker will signal to streaming viewers that they will see the same level of storytelling and reporting seen on the network's franchises such as "CBS Sunday Morning" and "60 Minutes."
Khemlani believes the move -- along with the expansion of streaming news channels at the CBS-owned local stations -- will tear down the barrier that has divided the broadcast and digital sides of the operation.
"You can't underestimate the cultural impact of everybody internally now saying they are part of one CBS News," Khemlani said. "It also reduces confusion about the brand externally. It's about unlocking the power of CBS News for more audiences globally."
The service is adding new original programs that will feature "CBS Evening News" anchor Norah O'Donnell and "CBS Mornings" co-host Gayle King.
O'Donnell will host "Person to Person," a revival of the interview program associated with legendary CBS journalist Edward R. Murrow. King will front "CBS Reports," a long-form news program that takes its name from the documentaries the network was known for in its heyday of the 1960s and '70s.
The changes are being unveiled as news divisions across the media landscape race to ramp up their streaming efforts as more viewers shift away from traditional TV watching.
WarnerMedia's CNN has been on a hiring spree ahead of its launch of CNN+, which will make content produced by the channel available to consumers without a cable subscription. The company poached Fox News veteran Chris Wallace and former NPR anchor Audie Cornish for the subscription service set to launch this year.
NBC News has also added several of its established names -- including Tom Llamas and Hallie Jackson -- to its free streaming channel, NBC News Now. Fox News has taken a different approach with Fox Nation, putting on documentaries and lifestyle programming with its on-air talent and day-after repeats of its prime-time shows.