Max is pulling CNN and sports from some US subscribers on March 30

[Karlston]

People who pay for ad-free Max will still have access to CNN Max and B/R Sports.

People who subscribe to Max at the ad-supported tier will no longer be able to access CNN or Bleacher Report (B/R) Sports content through the service starting on March 30, Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) announced this week.

 

At that time, only people subscribed to one of Max’s more expensive, ad-free subscription tiers will be able to access Max's live news and sports hubs.

 

In a statement accompanying the announcement, JB Perrette, CEO and president of global streaming and games at WBD, said the decision to change access to CNN Max and B/R Sports, which includes MLB, NBA, NHL and other live sporting events, followed over a year of assessing how people watch news and sports on Max.

 

“We’ve been actively involved in exploring ways to evolve the sports distribution ecosystem in the US. We believe that the best place for that content for now is within the Standard and Premium tiers," Perrette said. The change will also enable “ongoing investment in" WBD's "premium sports and news portfolio,” the executive claimed.

 

The news will likely disappoint some subscribers who have resorted to putting up with ads to save money in an increasingly expensive streaming world. After March, to access CNN Max and B/R Sports, ad-tier subscribers would have to pay 70 percent more per month ($10 versus $17) or 70 percent more annually ($100 versus $170) than their current rate. It’s also worth noting that the live content these subscribers are losing inherently has ads, something that Basic with Ads tier subscribers openly accept.

 

WBD originally launched CNN Max in the US as an open beta in September 2023, promising “live programming from CNN US, CNN International, and feature original programming built specifically for Max.” WBD initially said CNN Max would be free with all Max subscriptions. The website for CNN Max used to read that CNN was “available to all Max subscribers at no additional cost,” per the Wayback Machine. Now, the website explains that widespread access will end in March.

Sports game plan changes

WBD debuted B/R Sports for Max in October 2023, saying it would eventually cost $10 per month after a free promotional period. This week, WBD said it will no longer look to sell B/R Sports as a separate add-on “for now.”

 

The news comes as live events, especially sports, are becoming more critical to streaming services’ content libraries and profit pushes. More streaming services are spending billions of dollars for the rights to air live events to grow ad revenue and subscriber counts.

 

During a call with investors today, WBD CEO David Zaslav talked about the wildly expensive bidding wars for sports rights, noting that “some of the prices being paid” are “going to get more difficult," according to Variety.

 

“We don’t need any more sports anywhere in the world to support our own business,” Zaslav said. The executive reportedly emphasized the importance of the legacy media business focusing on movies and shows that WBD “could own” long-term.

 

In its Q4 2024 earnings report (PDF) announced today, WBD said it gained 6.4 million subscribers in its direct-to-consumer (DTC) business, which includes the Max and Discovery+ streaming services, as well as subscriptions to the HBO network. Considering the decline of broadcast TV and the smaller size of Discovery+, it’s expected that most of that growth came from Max. In a letter to shareholders (PDF), WBD, which now claims 116.9 million DTC subscribers, said that Max's subscriber base grew by 20 percent year over year in 2024 and contributed to “substantial” but unspecified profits. WBD’s DTC division reported an annual profit of $677 million for 2024, up from $103 million in 2023.

 

Source

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