Get ready for yet more changes at Max, with the latest buzz claiming that the streamer will debut a new tier devoted to live sports, potentially in time for the MLB postseason.
The new tier will offer live streams of Major League Baseball, NBA, NHL, and NCAA matchups, according to CNBC.
Max is no stranger to live sports, with the streamer broadcasting its first U.S. Women’s Soccer National Team matches at the beginning of the year (when Max was still called “HBO Max”) as part of an eight-year deal with the U.S. Soccer Federation. The deal includes U.S. Men’s Soccer National Team matchups as well.
But now, Warner Bros. Discovery is looking to boost Max’s live sports coverage, which will arrive under the Bleacher Report banner, CNBC reports. Time Warner scooped up Bleacher Report back in 2012.
Neither the MLB nor the NBA games on Max would be exclusive to the service, or at least not initially. CNBC says. Instead, they’d be simulcasts of coverage from TBS and TNT.
Warner Bros. Discovery executives are reportedly looking to launch Max’s new sports tier in time for the MLB playoffs in October, just a couple months away.
How much would Max’s new sports tier cost? Good question.
As it stands, Max costs $19.99 a month for the 4K-enabled Ultimate tier, $15.99 a month for the HD-only Ad Free plan, and $9.99 a month for the ad-supported Max Ad-Lite.
Max parent Warner Bros. Discovery has yet to comment on the CNBC report.
HBO Max morphed into just “Max” back in May. By June, word had it that Warner Bros. Discovery had “already decided” to add live CNN news coverage to Max, although it’s not clear what form CNN on Max might take.
Live sports is becoming a bigger and bigger deal in the live streaming market. Amazon Prime Video has Thursday Night Football, which is available to all Prime Video subscribers, while Peacock will be offering live Summer Olympics coverage next year and Apple TV+ streams Friday Night Baseball games.
None of the big streamers have sports tiers yet, although Apple TV+’s $14.99-a-month MLS Season Pass could arguably be considered a separate tier.
Author: Ben Patterson, Senior Writer
Ben has been writing about technology and consumer electronics for more than 20 years. A PCWorld contributor since 2014, Ben joined TechHive in 2019, where he covers smart speakers, soundbars, and other smart and home-theater devices. You can follow Ben on Twitter.