Max May Offer Free Sports Streaming Later This Year - But Not For Long

Warner Bros. Discovery's Max, the streaming service formerly known as HBO Max, is a rather tonally inconsistent streaming service as it combines shows from Discovery's stable of programs and HBO, meaning that light-hearted shows like Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives are presented right next to more serious fare like Band of Brothers, The Wire, or The Sopranos. It's being reported that its content library will get even more diverse with the addition of live sports. 

According to Bloomberg, Major League Baseball and National Basketball Association games may start streaming on Max at some point, given that Warner Bros. owns broadcasting rights. At this point, it's unknown when the service will begin streaming sports, but it has been reported that it will be a free addition, at least for a limited time. Fees are thought to kick in late winter or early fall next year, but there are no specifics yet.

Streaming rights to professional sports are a bit of a mess that can be hard to parse on the surface, with giant corporations securing and losing broadcast rights seemingly every other day. Currently, there are no legal ways for a streaming service to cover all major professional or collegiate-level sports on a single platform. You still have to pay for cable to watch every game (that's likely by design).

There are a lot of variables in the air right now about when Max will start streaming major sports leagues and what it will cost. When it comes to live content, Amazon, Paramount, and Peacock are eating Max's lunch. Hopefully, this won't result in exclusivity contracts that could blackout local media coverage for people who don't subscribe to Max or other sports streaming platforms. Additionally, watching live sports is already confusing enough without paying for cable, and yet another streaming service adding sports seems redundant at best.