Breaking: Sports Tier to Launch on Max in October; All WBD Sports Content to Be Free for Nearly 5 Months
After a year and a half of speculation, Warner Bros. Discovery announced on Tuesday that the company would finally be adding a full, live sports component to its flagship streaming service in the coming weeks. Beginning on Oct. 5, just in time for the MLB postseason, WBD will launch the Bleacher Report Sports add-on tier to Max.
The package will offer customers a full slate of premium live sports, including MLB, NHL, NBA, NCAA Men’s March Madness, and U.S. Soccer games and matches, as well as sports-focused programming including as “Inside the NBA,” select live international sports events such as 24 Hours of Le Mans, and extensive video-on-demand content from around the Warner Bros. Discovery company, including TBS and TNT.
The sports tier will be free and included in all domestic Max subscriptions from October until Feb. 29, 2024, at which time, it will be available to subscribers in the United States for $9.99 per month. The addition of live sports to WBD’s previously prestige-only platform has long been rumored and is the latest evolution of the service’s identity from the streaming home of premium cable programs as HBO Max to the hub for all of the company’s entertainment titles as Max and now as something akin to a reassembly of the cable package, bringing in both the company’s sports offerings as well as live news coverage with the forthcoming launch of CNN Max.
“We’re thrilled to offer WBD’s incredible portfolio of premium U.S. live sports – featuring simulcasts of our must-see MLB, NHL, NBA, NCAA and U.S. Soccer events, among others – as part of B/R Sports Add-On’s wide assortment of compelling multi-sport content on Max,” WBD’s CEO and president of global streaming JB Perrette said. “The greatest collection of Entertainment, News and now Sports all in one place…this makes Max the most complete streaming service for consumers and reaffirms why Max is truly The One To Watch.”
Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav promised last month that more information about live news and sports on the service would be available soon, and he has fulfilled that promise.
The new B/R Sports Add-On will carry all games airing on WBD linear channels — truTV in addition to TNT and TBS — but it will also include pre and post-game coverage, as well as an extensive video-on-demand library of sports documentaries. The package will also include Bleacher Report highlights and events, special features, and extended series featuring such stars as Mookie Betts, Von Miller, Micah Parsons and Travis Hunter.
WBD Sports boasts an impressive collection of live sports rights, including MLB regular season and postseason games (highlighted by the National League Division and Championship Series this year), NHL regular season matches and the Stanley Cup Playoffs, NBA regular season action — including this year’s inaugural NBA In-Season Tournament — the NBA All-Star Game, and Playoffs. Warner Bros. Discovery also partners with CBS to air the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament, and will host this year’s Final Four. The company also is the broadcast home for many U.S. Men’s and Women’s National Soccer Team games and much more. All of that will be available on the new B/R Sports Add-On.
“We want to be everywhere sports fans are and our unparalleled offering of leading sports, combined with the power of the Bleacher Report brand and content, including the unique way B/R engages with young sports fans, all delivered through the new Max platform will enable us to broaden our audience and delight new fans,” said Luis Silberwasser, Chairman and CEO, Warner Bros. Discovery Sports. “We are uniquely positioned to offer viewers the best selection of premium sports and exciting events and fan-focused additional programming, all within a fantastic multi-sport product that will meet the evolving consumption needs of our viewers – both casual and hardcore sports fans.”
What Sporting Events Will Be on the New Sports Tier on Max?
- 2023 MLB Postseason coverage: Beginning on Oct. 7, WBD Sports’ exclusive presentation of the NLDS and NLCS will be available to stream.
- 2023-24 NHL Season: More than 60 live NHL regular season games will be on the B/R Sports Add-On, including an Opening Week doubleheader (Wednesday, Oct. 11) with the Chicago Blackhawks visiting the Boston Bruins and the Los Angeles Kings hosting the Colorado Avalanche. You will also be able to stream the Stanley Cup Playoffs next spring.
- 2023-24 NBA Season: Live coverage of NBA Opening Night on Tuesday, Oct. 24 will kick off the hoops coverage on Max. The evening will feature the NBA Champion Denver Nuggets hosting the Los Angeles Lakers and the Phoenix Suns visiting the Golden State Warriors. Max will stream 65 live NBA regular season games during the course of the season. NBA Playoff action will also be available to stream through the Western Conference Finals.
- Inaugural 2023 NBA In-Season Tournament: The historic event will begin with doubleheader action on Tuesday, Nov. 14, the first of three consecutive weeks of Group Play competition.
- 2024 NHL Winter Classic: On Jan. 1 2024 from T-Mobile Park the Seattle Kraken will host the Stanley Cup champion Vegas Golden Knights in the outdoor tradition.
- 2024 NBA All-Star Weekend: From the All-Star Saturday Night to the NBA All-Star Game, the B/R Sports Add-On will have all of the events from All-Star weekend covered Feb. 16-18, 2024.
- 2024 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament: Every March Madness game that airs on TBS, TNT, or truTV, including the Men’s Final Four and National Championship Game will be available in March and April 2024.
- 2024 MLB Season: Following this fall’s playoffs, baseball coverage on Max will resume in early April 2024, featuring a weekly Tuesday Night game throughout the season.
- United States Men’s and Women’s Soccer: The English-language, streaming home of both the USMNT and USWNT will be on Max, including the 2024 SheBelieves Cup.
- *The Match: Future installments of the premier live, celebrity golf event will be available on the Bleacher Reports Sports Add-On.
Max
Max is a subscription video streaming service that gives access to the full HBO library, along with exclusive Max Originals. There are hubs for content from TLC, HGTV, Food Network, Discovery, TCM, Cartoon Network, Travel Channel, ID, and more. Watch hit series like “The Last of Us,” “House of the Dragon,” “Succession,” “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” and more. Thanks to the B/R Sports add-on, users can watch NBA, MLB, NHL, March Madness, and NASCAR events.