Max Sports Tier Will Be Free Longer Than Expected, As Company Works Through Tech Integrations

Attention sports fans: You will be able to get your NBA, NHL and college basketball included with at no extra charge for a few months more. says that it is delaying the launch of the paid tier of the service as it works through some technical kinks. “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,” the company said in a statement.

“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 B/R Sports tier launched last fall ahead of the MLB playoffs and NBA and NHL seasons. The plan was for it to be free through the end of February, after which it could be purchased for an additional $10 per month.

The timing was meant to coincide with the launch of the NCAA March Madness basketball tournament. Now, however, it appears the madness will be included at no extra charge. J.B. Perrette, who leads WBD’s streaming business, that the company is also looking to work with pay TV partners on upselling the package.

“We think the upsell tier is in line with the way the rest of the world has done it for years and successfully done it and profitably done it,” he said. “It creates a long term ecosystem that’s much more viable than giving it away for free, and ultimately is good for consumer choice and targeting new consumers.” THR Newsletters Sign up for THR news straight to your inbox every day More from The Hollywood Reporter.