CNN has officially announced its subscription streaming service, CNN+, saying that it will launch in the first quarter of 2022.

In the official announcement on Monday, the news outlet said the upcoming streaming platform will serve "CNN superfans, news junkies and fans of quality non-fiction programming."

"CNN invented cable news in 1980, defined online news in 1995, and now is taking an important step in expanding what news can be by launching a direct-to-consumer streaming subscription service in 2022," said Jeff Zucker, Chairman of WarnerMedia News and Sports and President of CNN Worldwide.

CNN is expanding the range of its existing TV track to serve both cable subscribers who want additional programming and consumers who don't have cable at all.

The new CNN+ service will offer 8 to 12 hours of live, daily programming, original series, and a communal interactive feature letting subscribers engage with anchors and subject matter experts.

CNN chief digital officer Andrew Morse, who is leading the CNN+ executive team, was quoted saying "I think that this is the single biggest launch that CNN has had since Ted Turner launched the network in June of 1980."

In addition, he made emphasized there would be no political bias to CNN Plus content. "No it's not going to be ideological," said Morse. "We're just not in that game. We're not an opinion network, we're a news network."

CNN+ will enter an already crowded arena for streaming news platforms, with Fox News' established Fox Nation, and MSNBC's venture into parent company NBCUniversal's Peacock service.

The new streaming service will launch in the first quarter of 2022.