Live sports is coming to Max.
Warner Bros. Discovery announced Tuesday it will launch a live sports tier on its Max streaming service on October 5 that will give subscribers access to more than 300 live games a year.
The "Bleacher Report Sports Add-On" will include a package of live sports, including MLB, NHL, NBA, NCAA Men's March Madness, and US Soccer events, WBD said. The addition — which will also boast live pre- and post-game programming, as well as extensive on-demand content and extended series — marks the first time WBD has made its premium sports content available on a streaming platform.
The addition of live sports arrives in time for the Major League Baseball playoffs, with the National League Division Series kicking off on October 7. The new sports tier will be a free add-on for Max subscribers through Feb. 29, 2024, after which it will be priced at $9.99 a month. Sports games will also continue to air across WBD's linear network, which includes TNT, TBS, and truTV.
The move to bring live sports to streaming services comes as WBD, CNN's parent company, and other entertainment giants contend with the rapid decline of traditional cable television, imperiling the business model that has long supported expensive sports rights and programming development. WBD announced last month that it also plans to bring live news to the Max platform with a new CNN Max service starting on September 27.
"[It's] the greatest collection of Entertainment, News, and now Sports all in one place," JB Perrette, WBD's global streaming president, said in a statement. "This makes Max the most complete streaming service for consumers and reaffirms why Max is truly The One To Watch."
The new sports tier makes use of the Bleacher Report brand that was acquired by Time Warner in 2012 and continues to operate as a digital sports news and culture platform.
"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, the chairman and chief executive of Warner Bros. Discovery Sports.