Max, the streaming service owned by Warner Bros. Discovery, is adding a live sports tier in the US on October 5th. The Bleacher Report Sports add-on will cost $9.99 per month, with current Max subscribers getting the tier for free until February 29th, 2024.
The upcoming sports tier will feature live games from Major League Baseball (MLB), the National Basketball Association (NBA), the National Hockey League (NHL), the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), and US soccer. These games will continue to air on Warner Bros. Discovery’s cable networks, including TNT, TBS, and TruTV.
In addition to live games, the sports tier will offer live coverage from the Warner Bros. Discovery-owned sports outlet Bleacher Report as well as “select” live international sporting events and “extensive” video-on-demand content, including sports documentaries.
Subscribers to any of Max’s plans can add the Bleacher Report Sports tier for an extra $9.99 / month. According to Max, live sports will show the same ads “that air during the TV broadcast of the event on TBS, TNT, or truTV.” The streamer also notes that you may not be able to stream some games due to regional blackouts.
Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav had been hinting about adding live sports to Max for months, and previous reports suggested that the streaming service was getting ready to launch the new tier in time for MLB playoffs.
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As more people shift away from cable, sports has become an essential part of the streaming bundle. In addition to Max, Apple TV Plus, Amazon Prime Video, Paramount Plus, and others all incorporate live sports in some way, while Disney is considering the future of ESPN and streaming.