The hints and teases are beginning to turn into results for Warner Bros. Discovery’s flagship streaming service Max. After launching the service in May, WBD executives have implied several times that live news and sports were coming to Max at some point.
On Thursday, the company announced that it would be bringing live news content from CNN to Max in a new content hub styled “CNN Max.” The hub will feature streaming original shows from network anchors, many of CNN’s top programs, and will be available to stream on Max at no extra charge to users. The hub launches on Sept. 27 for all Max customers.
The rollout of CNN Max will be an open beta, which means that WBD will use it to test certain features and ensure it has live streaming down pat. Customers shouldn’t be shy about giving feedback, especially if they’re sports fans, since whatever hiccups in livestreaming WBD is able to iron out now will mean fewer problems for it to resolve later on when it adds live sports to Max. That day is coming.
“I’ve talked about news and sports as our artillery and a real opportunity for us. So we’ll be coming to you guys soon,”WBD CEO David Zaslav said in early August, and his promise has been fulfilled regarding live news.
Next up is live sports, and a report from earlier this month has already spoiled some of the details. That report indicated Max was eyeing the beginning of the MLB playoffs in October to make live sports available on Max. Unlike the CNN Max hub, live sports will likely be placed on a new, separate subscription tier that accounts for the expense cost of live sports rights. It will almost certainly cost more than the $19.99 Ultimate plan when it rolls out to users, but it will feature NBA and NHL contests as well as the NCAA Men’s Basketball tournament come March.
That’s why the CNN Max rollout is so critical for WBD. The open beta will allow it to make some necessary mistakes to figure out what it should avoid doing in the future, and which aspects of live streaming it already has working correctly. The company will be able to gather important data that will help its live sports streaming launch go a lot more smoothly.
Max adding live sports this fall will allow WBD to calculate whether a bid for the streaming-exclusive package of games the NBA reportedly wants to sell as part of its next broadcasting deal following the 2024-25 season. It will need to know ahead of time what kind of ratings live sports do on its streaming platform before deciding on such a bid, and the launch of CNN Max will help it get acclimated to the live streaming environment first.
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.