Breaking: Warner Bros. Discovery Reportedly Planning to Offer Live Sports for Free on Max for a Limited Time
After resisting at first, Warner Bros. Discovery has been inching its way toward including live sports on its flagship Max streaming platform in recent months. Now, Bloomberg’s Lucas Shaw is reporting that WBD is planning to not only add live sports to the service, but to do so at no extra cost, at least for a limited time.
Shaw’s reporting indicates that the media conglomerate is planning to bring its complement of live sports rights from its TBS and TNT cable networks as a way to entice consumers to sign up for the service. The Turner networks are the cable homes for MLB, NBA, and NHL action as well as AEW Wrestling, the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament, United States Men’s and Women’s National Soccer Team matches, and more. After getting viewers accustomed to having live sports on Max, the plan is then to move the live events to a separate package which would require an additional fee beginning in early 2024, likely around February, ahead of March Madness.
Earlier this month during the company’s quarterly earnings call, CEO David Zaslav said that WBD planned to bring live sports to Max “soon” and reports began to surface a few days later that the company could start doing so this fall with the launch of the Major League Baseball playoffs, which normally air on TBS.
Sports isn’t the only area normally reserved for the cable side of the business that Max is branching into. Last month, WBD announced that it would launch a 24/7 CNN hub on Max aptly titled “CNN Max.” While this new addition will not be a direct around-the-clock simulcast of the cable channel’s programming, it will feature livestreams of some CNN shows and streaming exclusives from recognizable CNN anchors; CNN Max will also feature live, breaking news reports as well. The live news hub will launch an open beta beginning on Sept. 27.
Currently, Max offers three different pricing plans. The streamer’s “With Ads” plan costs $9.99 per month, while the “Ad-Free” option runs $15.99. For $19.99 monthly, you can sign up for the “Ultimate” plan, which is not only ad-free but also includes 4K UHD with Dolby Atmos sound.
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.