Streaming sports on Max could come with a monthly fee soon, according to a newsletter from Bloomberg’s Screentime.
In October 2023, Max, the WBD streaming platform, introduced the B/R Sports add-on, which houses TNT Sports live sporting events. Since its introduction, the B/R Sports add-on has been free of charge for Max subscribers but there are reports that this could be coming to an end soon.
Since its inception, WBD has said that the add-on would cost $9.99 per month after the free promotion ended, however, due to technical issues, it has remained free longer than expected.
In the Bloomberg piece, there is speculation that things could change later this month:
Later this month, Warner Bros. Discovery is hoping to start charging customers of its Max streaming service an extra $10 a month if they want to watch sports like the National Basketball Association and Major League Baseball.
It’s a long-delayed effort by the media giant to figure out a streaming strategy for its collection of sports rights. Sports are currently free, and it’s possible the rollout of the paid plan will remain on hold. Negotiating for the rights with all of its partners has been a challenge.
As the decline of the company’s cable networks accelerates, CEO David Zaslav needs to transition his sports business to streaming (along with the rest of his entertainment programming). Warner Bros.’ cable networks generate billions of dollars a year from events like March Madness, the NBA and the MLB playoffs. While the company is about lose the NBA, barring judicial intervention, it has since added other sports, like French Open tennis.
This of course, isn’t an official announcement, as WBD has yet to comment if or when they will begin charging for the add-on.
When the add-on was introduced in October 2023, the company said that it “cements Max as the most complete streaming service across Entertainment, News and now Sports, making it The One to Watch.”
With Max being available on major devices, watching the B/R Sports add-on gave subscribers access to their favorite sports in the WBD portfolio. That portfolio includes the NBA, MLB, NHL, March Madness, and a host of other sporting events.
WBD is currently suing the NBA after the league rejected a deal that would keep its games on TNT Sports and Max past the upcoming season. And the company, along with Disney and Fox is being sued over their Venu Sports joint venture. The trios sports-only streaming service was blocked from launching last month as planned.
As more cable subscribers transition to cord cutting, charging for the B/R Sports add-on could help bring in more revenue for WBD. During Warner Bros. Discovery’s second quarter earning report, the company lost $9.1 billion on their linear TV networks, and $107 million in streaming, including Max. In 2023, legacy companies WBD, Disney, Comcast, and Paramount lost more than $5 billion on streaming combined.
If you want to stream college football and other live sports, sign up for Max and enjoy the B/R Sports add-on for free today.