The CNN airport network will be closed on March 31 after 30 years

CNN Airport Network – the service that broadcast cable news channel content to waiting areas at terminals across the country – will shut down on March 31.

The end of the service launched in 1990 was announced Tuesday in a memo from CNN President Jeff Zucker.

He said the decline in airline passenger traffic due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the rise of streaming video available on mobile phones and other internet-connected devices led to the decision.

The ad-supported CNN airport network was no longer a profitable operation for the WarnerMedia unit, according to people briefed on the matter who were not authorized to comment publicly. About two dozen employees based at CNN’s headquarters in Atlanta will lose their jobs with the shutdown.

CNN Airport Network was broadcast on 1,800 screens at 54 airports in the United States and Bermuda. The personalized service showed segments of CNN and other Turner channels such as HLN and TNT.

Coverage of air disasters and stories that were not suitable for children were excluded from the service.

The network helped bring CNN brand recognition to a captive audience, even as the company faced new competition from cable competitors Fox News and MSNBC. Exposure to international travelers has also helped strengthen CNN’s reputation as a global news source.

“Saying goodbye to such a beloved brand isn’t easy,” Zucker said in his note. “It has also become an iconic part of the travel experience in this country.”