[sky303]

Connect the World moved to Abu Dhabi in 2014, when Global Exchange was canceled, that's also when it moved slots from European primetime as well, and they introduced Hala's new program.

[InternationalDesk]

Wow, Connect the World also got updated titles and music, first time since the show's inception, I think - what was it, 2014?. Though the updated music remains somewhat poppish in style, one might argue.

London set has the ability to switch off CNN logo from the table during Amanpour, as it is made for PBS as well... It would be reasonable to suggest that if Abu Dhabi set was a shared space it would have that ability too... May be they just did not switch it on during the first show...

CTW launched in 2009 I believe, around the time of the “Go Beyond Borders” slogan.  

It started in London.  I don’t recall what year it moved to Abu Dhabi.

2016 was when it got a refreshed look that matches the 2014 CNN Newsroom-style graphics, along with a new theme that sounded like the 2012 CTW mixed with Global Exchange (which also orginiated from Abu Dhabi).
Here's the 2016 relaunch:
www.youtube.com 

And this, I believe, came from the original era of CTW in London:
www.youtube.com 

Edit: My bad, the move was in 2014, 2016 was when they relaunched the whole thing.
cnnpressroom.blogs.cnn.com 

CNN Strengthens Middle East prime time, as Connect the World with Becky Anderson…
CNN International anchor Becky Anderson is relocating from London to the UAE, in…
  Source: cnnpressroom.blogs.cnn.com

[TMD_24]

Confirmed CNN Primetime presenters this week:

Tuesday: Jake Tapper (One On One with Bill Maher)
Wednesday: Laura Coates (Inside The Murdaugh Murders)
Thursday: Sara Sidner (Arlette Saenz interviews Jill Biden)

So it looks like CNN Primetime will focus on different presenters but with a single topic per show which I guess is good cause it allows a much more in-depth looks and views on certain topics for an hour.

[ginnyfan]

Wow, Connect the World also got updated titles and music, first time since the show's inception, I think - what was it, 2014?

This would be Connect The World's third graphics refresh and sixth new set.

April 2009 - Connect the World premieres from London at 22:00 CET
September 2013 - CNN London debuts a new set, CTW moves to 21:00 CET
April 2014 - CTW moves to Abu Dhabi at 17:00 CET
April 2016 - CNN Abu Dhabi debuts a new set.
February 2023 - CNN Abu Dhabi debuts a new set.

I'm not sure when exactly Connect the World updated from the launch graphics, it's likely around 2015/2016.

Thanks for the timeline. Let me try to follow that up with some screencaps and aditional info.

When it debuted in 2009, CTW had one of the worst looks and music themes ever on CNN, IMO. The virtual set was so bad and made the show feel like a magazine program, not a proper news bulletin.








Thankfully, it didn't last long, since they started using the usual London set later that year.









A new look and set up was introduced in September 2011 which was another improvement.

---

During the summer of 2013, while the London set was rebuilt, Becky presented the show from Abu Dhabi and it looked very nice.













New London set debuted in September 2013.













The big move to Abu Dhabi in April 2014, when the show was often presented from the rooftop set up.














Finally, April 2016 and the set that was used until this year, which was a downgrade from the previous newsroom based studio.

[oscillon]

@EastCoast, @InternationalDesk, @ginnyfan, thank you for clarification , screencaps & excerpts! Completely forgot that the whole thing started from London in the evening!

They gave the new studio a nice run today by using it not only for a fancy backdrop (hello AC360), but also putting content and a guest onto its video walls.

Well Becky was presenting from a flash set for months so I thought there might be some works done, though flash sets are almost a CNN standard these days so it's hard to know what it actually means when they start using them.

I am not sure if it was indeed a flash set or just a locked tight shot of the old studio. All I can say is that backdrop was the same as usual. I remember that trick they did few months ago with Lynda Kinkade in the old-but-now-back-in-use CNN Studio 4 when it all looked like a flash studio until they did an occasional wide shot just before the ad break...

=============================================================================================

On a separate note, in the CNNI schedule from 1 March 4am ET "CNN Newsroom" hour is no longer labelled as "with Max Foster and Bianca Nobilo", just "with Max Foster". Could be a glitch, could be a vacation, or could be a sign of changes to come. Bianca was last seen anchoring this hour a week ago, on 21 February.

=============================================================================================

Also there was a blooper at the end of QMB with Isa Soares substituting. She announced "The Lead with Jake Tapper starts right now"... immediately followed by "CNN Special report" - a European prime time repeat of yesterday's "The Will to Win: Ukraine at War" Special Report. I mean, they should have warned the anchors, shouldn't they? (Although it is still much better than CNN/US anchors who usually hand over to another show without any regard of the international viewers.)

[mouseboy33]

I know Im being cynical. I see no hard branding on that set. Despite the fact that CNN typically has their logo physically attached to their sets in most places. And the spot on the desk where the red box is simply says ABU DHABI....instead of CNN ABU DHABI. Make me think its a shared studio space for some reason. Its a pretty set but does it feel like a CNN set? Its alot of tech and big set for just an hour or so a day. Its hard to imagine it sits dark most of the day.  Im curious.

There appears to be a hidden 'CNN AD' there behind the lights. Not sure it works quite as well as CNN LDN

Mate that was a good spot. Im glad its actually their set and not a "rent-a-set" in a international media center. Its looks good on camera. Hopefully the new Techwood set will have something similar. Doesnt seem like CNN used their normal set designers for this one.

[Independent]

There's a clip showing the construction: 
twitter.com 

For some reason they deleted that but I believe the video is the same as this one.
twitter.com 

[matthieu1221]

@EastCoast, @InternationalDesk, @ginnyfan, thank you for clarification , screencaps & excerpts! Completely forgot that the whole thing started from London in the evening!

They gave the new studio a nice run today by using it not only for a fancy backdrop (hello AC360), but also putting content and a guest onto its video walls.

I thought those were real windows with a real view behind! At first glance it looks pretty convincing!

Also there was a blooper at the end of QMB with Isa Soares substituting. She announced "The Lead with Jake Tapper starts right now"... immediately followed by "CNN Special report" - a European prime time repeat of yesterday's "The Will to Win: Ukraine at War" Special Report. I mean, they should have warned the anchors, shouldn't they? (Although it is still much better than CNN/US anchors who usually hand over to another show without any regard of the international viewers.)

A lot of the time, even when anchors are subbing in, the anchors of the previous hour aren't told leading to moments like... "The Lead with Jake Tapper starts right now"..., followed by "I'm Pamela Brown in for Jake Tapper".

[mouseboy33]

Its a nice space with a good decent set. When you go back and look at the previous sets, this one is their best yet. Too bad that CNNi decided to virtually close up shop in HK. This should be the model for their other broadcast sites. But at the end of the day. Their main broadcasts sites are ATL, NY, DC, LDN and AD. Cant think of anyplace else on their english services.

[oscillon]

CNN Primetime today had a bespoke title in the beginning after the headlines/announcement (seen below in the process of printing the word Maher), much like both of the recent town halls. However, if the town halls were one-off events, CNN Primetime is about to be regular. Will they make a new intro every day?

Although the show had opening and closing comments by Jake Tapper from the Studio B in Washington (and judging by the DOG, opening comments were live), the interview itself took part in some of the Maher's places.


Note the old/new font in the program's name in the bottom right ticker - they apparently returned to the font from 2015 that once was all over the network. Also, as you can see, CNNI started running a ticker about the Greece train collision but did not opt out even at the TOTH, so train crash in the breaking news ticker, woke culture discussion occupying the rest of the screen.

============================================================================================================

A lot of the time, even when anchors are subbing in, the anchors of the previous hour aren't told leading to moments like... "The Lead with Jake Tapper starts right now"..., followed by "I'm Pamela Brown in for Jake Tapper".

Well, one could argue that The Lead is produced by CNN/US and if we treat CNN/US and CNNI as a somewhat separate entities (as opposed to two outputs of the same big team) one can say that CNNI might not know what is happening in the CNN/US department. Here, however, it was specifically CNNI decision to repeat the documentary for European prime time, and its their dedicated anchor and producers who did not have a hunch about it.