CNN is a reputable news channel from the United States that gets stellar viewership every year. In 2019, this network took third place in terms of viewers, right behind Fox News and MSNBC. Cable News Network has gained such popularity because of their close attention to the viewer’s needs, offering them a variety of factual content.
From in-depth news coverage to original documentaries, with CNN, you can get a glimpse of what is happening in the world at any given moment.
Even though TV viewership has started to drop with the arrival of so much advanced technology, the news is still as important as it was 70 years ago. This is why CNN and other pay-TV news channels have chosen to create streaming apps for their content.
Therefore, people that enjoy streaming on their Firestick, for example, can still get access to their daily news and a plethora of other informative clips.
CNNGo is a free application based on the TV Everywhere interface, which is highly responsive and simple to use. It can help you see live and on-demand content from your favorite news provider at any time of the day. The only requirement is for you to have a US TV subscription that includes the CNN channel, which you will connect to the application to access its features.
Today, we will walk you through the steps of installing CNNGo on your Firestick and give you an overview of the app and its user interface. On top of that, we will list a few streaming alternatives for CNN in case you do not want to get a cable TV subscription.
Overview of CNNGo on Firestick
CNNGo is a cost-free application that can be added to a number of Fire TV devices, such as Firestick, both generations of Fire TV Cube, the third generation of Fire TV, and Fire TV Edition Soundbars and Smart TVs. This TV Everywhere platform gives users access to a 24/7 live broadcast of CNN, CNN International, and HLN.
On CNN, you can enjoy a variety of news-based content, such as regular programming during the day and detailed news reports at night. In the early evening, you can watch special newscasts from some of the most well-known journalists working at CNN. These include Erin Burnett, Chris Cuomo, Wolf Blitzer, Anderson Cooper, Jake Tapper, and Don Lemon, just to name a few.
As for the weekend primetime, you can launch CNNGo to see some select documentaries and original shows created by the network. In case you are not interested in the show that is airing at a specific moment, you can always enjoy their on-demand content as well.
The CNN network decided to include in their app an extensive library of short clips that can be of interest, such as news coverages, in-depth analysis, investigations, and debates. The application even has them sorted by category, so you can easily scroll through to your subject of interest. You can find anything from politics to entertainment and even tech news.
If you do not have time to watch their original shows on the weekend, you will be pleased to know they have these series available on their streaming platform too.
Some of the most popular shows that you can watch are: This is Life with Lisa Ling, Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown, The Hunt with John Walsh, United Shades of America, The Wonder List with Bill Weir, and Mostly Human. All of these shows come with subtitles available as well.
Reasons to Install CNNGo on Firestick
- You get complete access to live broadcasts of CNN and its sister channels, CNN International and HLN;
- The app has a large directive of on-demand content, starting with news clips and ending with original series from the network;
- The platform offers the option to add closed captions to your player for accessibility reasons;
- Much like other TV Everywhere apps, CNNGo is compatible with the Fire TV remote;
- The application is completely free to use, as long as you already have a TV subscription active.
Installation Guide for CNNGo on Firestick
Even though Amazon offers users the option to install unverified apps as well, we like that CNNGo is available right on the Appstore. This will make the installation process easier for you as well, so just follow along to see exactly how to add this app to your Firestick library.
- On your home screen, look for the Search button. The Fire TV OS has this button illustrated as a hand lens logo located at the top of your screen. Once you see it, highlight it to open up the Search page;
- Make use of the keyboard that appeared on-screen and the remote to write down CNNGo. Another easy input method is to press the microphone button on your remote and use voice search instead;
- From the search suggestions that appear under the keyboard, select the one that matches your query exactly;
- Now, you can take a look at your search results and select the Apps & Games category. Under here, you will find the CNNGo app, which is represented by the logo shown in the image below;
- After you click on this app, you will be redirected to a detailed page talking about its features. Under the application’s description, you will see a Get or Download button, depending on your operating system. Click on this button to begin the installation.
The process should only take a few minutes. You can either press Open right after the app is installed or look for it at a later time in Your Apps & Channels. This is a menu you can find on your Fire TV home screen, and it contains a complete list of all the applications you have installed on Firestick.
You can also use your remote to access this list. You start by holding the home button for a few seconds, then select Apps on the overlay menu opened. Either one of these methods will help you search for and open any app on your application.
If you reckon CNNGo will be an app you use on a daily basis to watch the news, then we recommend modifying the list to include this platform in your top 20 results. This way, you will access it each morning without hassle.
How to Log Into CNNGo On Firestick
As we have said before, all TV Everywhere applications require you to prove you have a TV subscription before giving you access to their content. This includes CNNGo too. We will show you exactly how you can activate CNNGo so that you can open up the live stream as soon as possible.
- Open up CNNGo on your Firestick device and look for an activation code;
- Find a secondary device with access to a browser app, such as a smartphone or a computer;
- Once you have it, go to the Activation page on CNN’s website. From the list of platforms available, choose Amazon Fire TV;
- The website will prompt you with a request to insert your activation code. Copy the code from your Firestick screen and select Continue to Verify;
- On the following page, you will be given a list of TV providers to choose from. Select the one that matches your TV subscription and log in with your account details.
Once the website has verified that you have an active TV subscription compatible with the app, it will give you access to the platform and all the content available there.
How to Navigate CNNGo on Firestick
The CNNGo interface is very straightforward and easy to navigate. We are certain you will have no problem getting used to it, especially if you have other TV Everywhere applications on your Firestick.
CNNGo is organized into four pages: Featured, LiveTV, Shows, and Settings. In the first category, you will find curated content from CNN, such as the top news of the day. You can get live updates to political and sports events and scroll through the most important news titles of that day.
You can scroll past this section to LiveTV, where you can choose if you want to watch the live stream of CNN, CNN International, or HLN. The next section is called Shows, and it includes all the on-demand content available from this network. If you are interested in reality-based shows like documentaries and investigations, CNN offers quite a large selection for you to choose from.
Last but not least, the Settings menu offers you the ability to make changes to your app. Here is where you can switch on and off Closed Captioning. In case you find the player buffering or lagging, you can go to this section of the platform and hit Reset to solve the issue.
Alternatives to Watch CNN on Firestick
Many people that choose to stream their TV content are actually looking to let go of TV subscriptions completely. Although the personalized TV Everywhere apps for pay-TV channels are not available without cable, there are multiple streaming alternatives available.
Just keep in mind that the following services do not include the on-demand content available on CNNGo. You will only get access to the live broadcast of CNN, and in some cases, CNN International and HLN as well.
Hulu + Live TV
Hulu is one of the oldest streaming platforms available on the market, so they know a thing or two about great content and adapting to the user’s preferences.
This is probably why they decided to create a package with their complete VOD library and over 65 TV channels. The Hulu + Live TV plan costs $64.99 per month, but you can try it out for a week by going to their website and claiming a free trial.
Not only do you get thousands of hours of entertainment content, but 24/7 access to multiple news channels too. Whether you are a fan of CNN, MSNBC, Fox News, CBSN, or ABC News Live, you can watch all of these networks and more with the Hulu app. This package also includes CNN International and HLN, alongside other dozens of TV channels that might pique your interest.
You can use up to 50 hours of cloud storage for DVRing news broadcasts that you are not home for. You can even choose to use their multiple device streams features, which allows you to watch CNN on up to two devices at the same time.
AT&T TV NOW
AT&T TV’s streaming platform has multiple plans available, but the cheapest one, including CNN, is priced at $55 per month. You can take a look at the other available networks to make your choice. Either way, you are sure to get access to other news channels like Fox News, CNBC, and Cheddar News too.
AT&T TV NOW offers you a whopping amount of 500 hours of cloud storage for recording your favorite shows. If you and your family all love to catch up on the news from different devices, you will enjoy the fact that this service is available to up to three simultaneous streams.
Sling
Another popular streaming app for live TV is Sling, which offers the CNN network in two of their plans: Sling Blue and Sling Orange. Both of these packages are available at the same price of $30 per month, but they offer a slightly different selection of channels. Sling recommends their Blue plan for people interested in news and entertainment shows, while the Orange plan is more suited for sports fans and families.
Keep in mind that this service only offers up to 10 hours of DVR storage space. Similar to AT&T TV, Sling chooses to offer users the ability to have up to three simultaneous device streams.
YouTube TV
Last but not least, the famous video content platform called YouTube has its own live TV plan available. You can choose to pay $64.99 per month to gain access to over 85 channels and an unlimited amount of DVR storage. YouTube also lets you watch up to three streams at the same time on different devices. Therefore, you can share this account with friends or family.
We like that YouTube TV provides you with a large variety of news networks, such as CNN, Cheddar News, HLN, CNBC, BBC World News, BBC America, Newsy, Fox News, TYT Network, Local Now, and more.
Last Thoughts
Keeping in touch with the current state of the country and the world should be a priority on every American’s list. With the CNNGo app, you can stream their content 24/7, which includes news broadcasts and other forms of content such as documentaries and investigations as well. With today’s guide, you can easily download and install this app directly on your Firestick.
In case you are not a fan of cable TV, you can opt for one of the other four alternative apps, which are available for download in the Amazon Appstore.
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