According to Eric Fisher of Front Office Sports, Warner Bros. Discovery is putting NBA games and other live sports on Max. Set to begin right in line with the start of the MLB Playoffs, Turner Sports' broadcasts for MLB, NBA, NHL, March Madness and more live sports will be available on the streaming platform.
The new sports tier, being called the Bleacher Report Sports Add-On upon its launch, will cost $9.99 per month on top of the standard Max subscription. However, the live sports content will be free to current Max subscribers until February 2024.
Although fans can now watch on Max, Warner Media will still have broadcasts on regular TV in addition to this new streaming venture. This comes after Apple TV offered its MLS Season Pass and ESPN/Disney has been putting the majority of their top live sports broadcasts on ESPN+.
Warner Bros. launching live sports streaming on Max for NBA, MLB, more
It seems eventually the NBA will move to a streamer for their television rights rather than a broadcast company.
As people cut their cords in the future and move to streaming services, it seems this type of situation will become more commonplace. The cable business has started already to run out of favor with consumers, which will continue to lead to more people transitioning to only having streaming services.
The NBA will need to adjust to this move by offering their product to streaming services. Networks might still offer games but it is highly unlikely to see them offering the product without their own accompanying streaming service providing the game.
Warner Bros.'s model with Max is also likely to become customary, with a sports tier offered at an additional cost to consumers. TV rights are extremely expensive and companies cannot profit from it without offering a separate tier. It also helps register who is interested in that product and how much they value it against comparable or better options.
