Summary Max’s sports add-on was supposed to cost $10/month, but Warner Bros. Discovery is keeping it free for standard and premium subscribers.
Starting March 30, ad-tier subscribers (including Disney+/Hulu/Max bundle users) will lose access to B/R Sports unless they upgrade.
Also on March 30, CNN Max will be locked behind the ad-free tiers, cutting off news access for ad-supported users.
Warner Bros. Discovery kept Max’s sports add-on free longer than expected, despite originally planning to slap a $10 monthly fee on it in early 2024. In a surprising win for consumers, the company is letting standard and premium subscribers keep access at no extra cost, although ad-supported tier users will lose out starting next month.
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Back in late 2023, Max rolled out its Bleacher Report Sports add-on, a feature that offered live sports streaming and was expected to cost an extra $10 a month. At first, it was free, but the plan was to start charging for it in February 2024. Turns out, that’s not happening anymore. Warner Bros. Discovery has decided to keep sports content free for subscribers, sticking with the current setup instead of adding any extra fees (via Engadget).
For Max’s ad-free subscribers, this is a major win. With over 1,700 live sports events—including NBA, MLB, and NHL games—staying in the mix, these premium tiers just became an even better deal.
Max’s $10 plan loses sports content, so you’ll need to upgrade to keep watching
However, starting March 30, Max is making changes to B/R Sports access. Ad-supported subscribers, including those on the Disney Plus, Hulu, and Max bundle with ads, will lose access unless they upgrade to a Standard or Premium ad-free plan. That’s a tough break, especially for bundle subscribers enjoying the $17 monthly deal.
On top of the other changes, Warner Bros. Discovery is making another tweak to its subscriptions. Starting March 30, CNN Max will only be available to ad-free subscribers. The CNN Max hub, a 24/7 news service that launched around the same time as the B/R Sports add-on, offers a mix of original streaming shows, breaking news, popular cable programs, and on-demand content, making this shift a notable loss for ad-tier members.
While this move should ease concerns among Max subscribers, Warner Bros. Discovery isn’t locking it in for good. Their official statement included the phrase “for now,” hinting that the extra fee could come back later. It’s a clear sign that this policy might not be permanent.
Subscribers on the $10 ad-supported Standard plan who’ve been enjoying free live sports on the streaming platform will now have to upgrade if they want to keep it.
Max is keeping sports and news content free, but there’s a caveat
