WBD plans to offer free live sports on Max for limited time

Warner Bros. Discovery plans to “offer live sports at no additional cost” on its Max streaming service for a “limited period of time later this year, betting basketball, baseball and hockey will lure new customers,” according to Lucas Shaw of BLOOMBERG NEWS. Sources said that customers will “need to pay an additional amount for sports starting next year, likely around February or March.” WBD airs the NCAA men's basketball tournament on its cable networks and has “discussed using the games as a selling point.” WBD is “just now figuring out how to use” its NBA and MLB media rights to “benefit its nascent streaming business.” It has been “talking to major sports leagues to ensure it has the rights to stream them” (BLOOMBERG NEWS, 9/6).