Summary
- Max is launching a new sports tier as an add-on to their streaming service, based on the success of packaging sports with Discovery+ in Europe.
- The sports tier will cost $9.99 a month, but existing Max subscribers will receive it for free until February 2024, and it will include coverage of professional sports leagues like MLB, NBA, and NHL.
- The sports tier will also give fans access to popular shows like Inside the NBA and coverage of events like March Madness and 24 Hours of Le Mans. The free period allows Max to work with partners on integration and billing.
Combining movies and sports might not be quite as innovative as mixing peanut butter and chocolate together — thank you, Reese’s — but Max is less than a month away from launching a brand-new tier. Beginning on Thursday, October 5, a Bleacher Report-branded sports option will be available as an add-on to the streaming service. The CEO and President of Global Streaming and Games, JB Perrette, addressed why the new sports service is packaged as an add-on rather than a standalone service. Perrette said in an interview with Deadline:
“What we learned there was that a stand-alone sports app is a challenging business because at the end of the day, you want to provide more engagement over a longer period of time and ultimately have more things that people can sample and engage with even if there’s not a premium sports event. We then shifted to a model of packaging sports in with Discovery+ in Europe and that grew to be much more successful, both in terms of revenue and churn-wise and engagement-wise. So that’s the model that we followed.”
The new sports tier will cost $9.99 a month. However, if you’re already a Max subscriber, the sports add-on will be provided at no cost to the customer until February 29, 2024. As a part of the package provided by Warner Bros. Discovery, via Max, fans will be able to watch most of the professional sports leagues. This includes Major League Baseball’s (MLB) post season and complete coverage of the National Basketball Association (NBA) and the National Hockey League (NHL).
Related: 20 Best Limited Series on Max to Watch Right Now
Max’s New Sports Tier Launches October 5
Bruce Kluckhohn/USA TODAY Sports
As a part of Max’s upcoming sports tier, fans of the NBA will also have access to the popular Inside the NBA TV show, which is anchored by Ernie Johnson. Johnson recently learned that he will be inducted into the Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame. The series’ pregame, in-game and post-game commentary is brought to life on most nights by the core team of former NBA greats Shaquille O’Neal, Charles Barkley and Kenny “The Jet” Smith. The show is a mainstay that accompanies live-game coverage on TNT and TBS.
Max’s new sports tier’s access to TNT, TBS and truTV will also give college basketball fans the ability to watch March Madness with the streaming service. Additionally, the golf-centric program The Match will be available to stream, as well as select United States soccer matches and the international sensation, 24 Hours of Le Mans. As mentioned earlier, current Max subscribers can enjoy the new sports tier five months for free. Perrette also addressed the logic behind offering the add-on at no charge through the end of February. Perrette said in the same interview:
“Part of the reason there’s that 5-month period [before existing customers are charged extra for sports] is partly also to give us time to work with our partners — cable partners, IP partners, telco partners — to figure out how we most effectively do the integration, the upsell, the billing, both from a commercial standpoint and a technical standpoint.”
The sports add-on is another exciting option for fans to enjoy on the streaming service. Most recently, Max continued catering to the horror film audience who will certainly appreciate the addition of the Friday the 13th franchise in plenty of time to not only celebrate Halloween but the film series’ big day, too: Friday, October 13. Max, formerly HBO Max, currently offers three different monthly plans: With Ads ($9.99), Ad-Free ($15.99) and Ultimate Ad-Free ($19.99). For more information, please visit Max’s official website.
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