Jan 23 (Reuters) - Warner Bros Discovery ( WBD )-owned CNN will

lay off about 6% of its workforce as the TV news outlet

continues to shift its focus toward a more digital-centric

strategy, according to an internal memo seen by Reuters on

Thursday.

Legacy cable networks, a profitable business for decades,

have been hit by intense cord cutting by consumers who favor

streaming services.

Warner Bros Discovery ( WBD ) is undergoing significant

restructuring and said in December it plans to split its cable

TV networks from its streaming and studio operations, forming

two separate units.

Under the new structure, the cable TV business - including

CNN, TNT and Animal Planet - will be consolidated into a unit

named Global Linear Networks.

With the job cuts, CNN seeks to streamline its cable TV

lineup and enhance its digital subscription offerings to better

align with evolving viewer trends.

"Our objective is a simple one: to shift CNN's gravity

towards the platforms and products where the audience themselves

are shifting," CNN CEO Mark Thompson said in an internal memo.

Thompson said CNN has started development on a new streaming

service for news programming similar to its TV product.

CNN also plans to launch a new lifestyle-oriented product

this year, the memo said, adding that CNN is looking to open up

and fill at least 100 new posts in the coming months as part of

the digital pivot.

The digital efforts were financed by a $70 million

investment from Warner Bros Discovery ( WBD ), Thompson added.

In October, CNN introduced a digital paywall requiring some

users to pay $3.99 per month for access to its content. The move

aimed to create a new digital revenue stream as the network

looks to offset the decline in TV.