Max, true to its word, is bringing live sports to its streaming service.
Warner Bros. Discovery has been hinting that live sports would be coming to Max for a while now, and today, we finally have a kickoff date (see what I did there). In a press release, the company announced that it will be adding live sports to its streaming service through a Bleacher Report (B/R) Sports add-on. The new addition will be available starting on Thursday, October 5th.
According to the press release, the Bleacher Report Sports add-on will include access to live games from the MLB, NHL, NBA, NCAA Men’s March Madness, and U.S. Soccer. At launch, every current Max will get access to the add-on for no additional cost. That free access will last through February 29th — after that date, Max With Ads, Max Ad-Free, and Max Ultimate Ad-Free subscribers can add the service to their existing subscription for an additional $9.99 per month.
Luis Silberwasser, Chairman and CEO of Warner Bros. Discovery Sports, said in a statement that live sports will “enable us to broaden our audience and delight new fans.“
“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. 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.”
So, in addition to needing to pay an additional $9.99 per month, what other catches are there with Max’s live sports offering? For one, the company confirmed that there will be blackouts, revealing that “depending on your location, you won’t be able to stream some live games due to rights of local content providers. Check back here on October 5 for more info about blackouts.”
In addition, paying $9.99 per month doesn’t remove ads during live games — even if you’re paying for an ad-free tier of Max. The company says that “live sports will include the same commercials that air during the TV broadcast of the event on TBS, TNT, or truTV.”
Max’s offering seems less of an innovative recreation of live sports — like Apple and the MLS have put together — and more of a portal into an experience you would already deal with if you still pay for cable. However, if you no longer have cable and want access to these games, it is one of the more affordable options out there. I’m sure there are going to be a ton of people subscribing, even with the compromises Max has had to make in order to make it happen.
