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Max from Warner Bros. Discovery Seeks to Stream MLB Playoffs for Sports Tier

Lanon Wee

Warner Bros. Discovery is set to broadcast games in real-time on both cable TV and the Max streaming service in October. To access sports-related content on Max, users will have to pay a premium. The streaming tier, which will be identified under the Bleacher Report moniker, will feature highlights, interviews, and games. There will not be any MLB or NBA games that are solely on Max next year. Warner Bros. Discovery has reportedly chosen the commencement of the Major League Baseball playoffs as an ideal time to roll out a sports tier for its Max streaming service. This tier would include simulcasts of games from different leagues such as the MLB, National Basketball Association, National Hockey League and National Collegiate Athletics Association, as well as more content from their sports media outlet, Bleacher Report, which consists of highlights and interviews. It is purported that the new tier will be branded with the Bleacher Report name. Warner Bros. Discovery apparently expects this tier to appeal to a younger audience that is shifting away from the traditional pay-TV bundle and should have more of an affinity for a digital sports brand like Bleacher Report. Owned by Time Warner since 2012, Bleacher Report has been a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery since the integration of WarnerMedia and Discovery last year. Warner Bros. Discovery executives indicated a probable additional charge for the new sports tier in the second-quarter earnings conference call last week. This idea was further reinforced by JB Perrette, CEO and president of global streaming and games, in the same call, citing that sports typically necessitates an incremental monetization. Currently, talks are centered around Max simulcasting MLB playoff games on both TBS and Max, though no MLB games would be exclusive to Max. The MLB playoffs are set to begin on October 3rd. The NBA, which starts its regular season Oct. 24, has talked with Warner Bros. Discovery concerning a similar agreement, wherein only games on the TNT cable network would be broadcast simultaneously on Max, as per the people familiar with the matter. Should exclusive Max games be included in the NBA's rights renewal agreement with Warner Bros. Discovery, they would likely start next year at the earliest. The NBA currently has a unique window to negotiate new TV rights with its current broadcast partners Disney and Warner Bros. Discovery, which ends April 2024. The people added that Warner Bros. Discovery hasn't decided on the pricing for its planned sports tier yet, with Max currently costing $15.99 monthly without ads or $9.99 monthly with commercials. A representative from Warner Bros. Discovery declined to comment. NOTE: Financials for Warner Bros. Discovery took a dip after the launch of Max, but its shares rose thanks to debt reduction.

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