The B/R Sports Add-On will remain free for longer than expected for Max subscribers.
Deadline reported on Friday that the B/R Sports Add-On will not launch its paid tier on February 29, the originally announced date that the tier would flip from free to paid for Max subscribers.
Instead, per Deadline, the tier will remain free for “a few more months” due to various tech integration issues.
Here’s a statement from a Max spokesperson, via Deadline.
“The B/R Sports Add-On will continue to be made available to Max subscribers on us for a few more months as we finalize some tech integrations that will ensure a more seamless customer experience with our platform partners,” Max said in a statement provided to Deadline. “We’ve seen great engagement with live sports on Max so far and look forward to continuing to delight fans with upcoming premium sports events like March Madness, the NBA, and NHL.”
The delay in launching the tier is a brutal development for Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD). The initial February 29 date would have launched the tier weeks before the NCAA Tournament, nudging many subscribers into paying for the tier to watch March Madness. It also would have launched before the NHL and NBA Playoffs, which also likely would have inspired many to subscribe.
With the launch date now being pushed back several months, WBD and Max will now miss out on all of those potential new signups. WBD will likely now be hoping the paid tier is ready to roll later in the year, before the start of the MLB Postseason and the next NBA and NHL regular seasons.
[Deadline]
