Warner Bros. Discovery announced the addition of a sports add-on package to its streaming platform Max.
While Max has already begun to air some sporting events, the package will formalize as a $9.99 upcharge beginning in February 2024.
The package will simulcast games that are already being broadcast on the company’s traditional channels including TBS and TNT.
Games from the NBA, NHL, MLB, and US Soccer will be available through Max as well as March Madness games from the NCAA.
Since the Warner Brother and Discovery merger last year, CEO David Zaslav has sought ways to optimize and centralize content from the company’s wide-ranging list of assets.
The streaming platform HBO Max was combined with Discovery’s own stream platform to create a hybrid that dropped HBO from the title becoming the current version known just as Max.
This latest strategy of adding sports content to the streaming platform echoes other decisions Zaslav has made which undercut traditional cable channels in favor of streaming.
Zaslav and other executives who own tethered cable channels have seen a steady decline in cable subscriptions as more and more homes pull the plug in favor of streaming services like Max.
According to Warner Bros. Discovery’s own news network CNN, cable TV viewership has dropped by nearly 13% while streaming services have seen an uptick of over 25%.
Other streaming giants like Amazon have also added content from the NFL, NBA, and MLB, both simulcasting and in certain cases broadcasting games on its streaming platform only.
With the lines blurring between streaming platforms and live events like sports, it makes it easier for users to cut the cord of cable altogether and move fully to streaming.
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