Max B/R Sports Offering Will Launch As Paid AddOn Later Than Expected Due To Tech Integration Process
Exclusive : Warner Bros. Discovery plans to launch a paid B/R Sports add-on a few months after the company's initial policy change.
When Bleacher Report's signature sports class was announced last September and launched in October, it didn't cost most customers extra money. At the time, the company said it expected the additional $10 surcharge to go into effect in February. This program enabled WBD to partner with Paramount Global to help drive consumer demand for the NCAA men's basketball tournament's annual March Madness campaign.
More than enough
The supplement is expected to become a premium option once the basketball craze dies down over time.
"The addition of B/R Sports will be available to our Max customers in a few more months as we complete technical integration with our platform partners to provide a better customer experience," said Max. The deadline is displayed. "We've seen some of the most-watched sports broadcasts to date, and we look forward to delighting fans with upcoming premium sports events like March Madness, the NBA and the NHL."
Later in the spring, WBD will carry two more highlights on the network, NHL and NBA games, also in Max B/R. October brings Major League Baseball games to TBS and Sports.
The technical process that allows customers to choose sports standards is not easy to manage. As direct-to-consumer broadcasters, all media companies are in a different position than providing linear programming to pay-TV operators. They must coordinate a variety of tasks that they historically have not handled internally, including invoicing, order fulfillment, technology support, and product integration.
WBD's CEO and president of global broadcast and gaming spoke last September about the "hard work" of individual sports broadcasters and explained the strategic rationale behind the company's approach to the shutdown. In Europe, Discovery (which will merge with WarnerMedia in 2022) moved programming from its EuroSports subsidiary to Discovery+, and Europort discontinued its independent broadcast service. According to Perrett, this combined scheme was "more successful in terms of revenue, exploration and employment". "So that's the model we're following," with Max.
Better times
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