Max (formerly known as HBO Max) was created to consolidate all of Warner Bros. Discovery into one streaming service. And now, in an expected move, Warner Bros. Discovery's Live Sports Network will be added.

Starting October 5, Max will add the new Bleacher Report Sports add-on to the Max platform and make it free for a limited time; Max will offer the add-on free to all Max subscribers from its October 5 launch through February 29, 2024. At that point, they will have to pay $9.99 per month for Bleacher Report Sports.

For this $9.99, you can watch live streaming of many sports; Max promises over 300 live games each year, though some may be subject to local blackout restrictions. During the free trial period, customers can watch the MLB National League Division Series and Championship Series playoffs, NHL regular-season games, and NBA regular-season games, as well as the U.S. men's and women's national soccer teams NBA Opening Night, NHL Opening Week games, the NBA Inseason Tournament, and the NHL Winter Classic are also included.

However, once the free trial period ends, you may find additional reasons to continue your subscription; the Bleacher Report Sports add-on also provides access to numerous March Madness games, including Final Four and championships. It also provides access to NHL and NBA playoff coverage, as well as the 2024 MLB season once baseball begins in the spring.

The problem with the Bleacher Report Sports add-on is that it may not be necessary; from what is listed in Max's announcement, Max primarily offers existing Turner Sports coverage from TNT, TBS, and TruTV. For some reason they are using the Bleacher Report brand instead of Turner, but since they are the company that removed HBO from HBO Max, that probably shouldn't be too surprising.

However, especially when it comes to live sports, I can't find anything noteworthy that can't be seen on one of these networks; NBA and NHL games are on TNT, MLB is on TBS, and March Madness is on both of them and on TruTV. In other words, if you have cable TV or a cable alternative, there's no reason to pay $9.99, despite the additional content in the form of highlights and other video-on-demand content. Especially since Max has not even removed the additional content from its nearly $10/month live sports stream.

It is a bit surprising that Warner Bros. Discovery has not paid for anything of note. Live sports is definitely the next big thing in streaming, and many of Max's competitors already have their own services. But they all pay to stream games; Peacock does it with the Premier League, Paramount Plus with the Champions League, and ESPN Plus with games from a number of leagues in various sports. That's how they incentivize people to sign up; Bleacher Report Sports can't see any incentive to pay the $9.99 unless they cut the deal altogether."