Warner Bros. Discovery is hoping to convert college hoops excitement into a bumper crop of new Max subscribers this spring.
The media company, ahead of the upcoming 2024 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship, is offering U.S. Max subscribers a 30% across all yearly plans (for the first 12 months). This year marks the first time that Max will stream all the 2024 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship live games and studio coverage airing on TBS, TNT and truTV — including the Final Four and the national championship game. The tournament runs March 19-April 8.
The limited-time deals are available on the three Max tiers: Max With Ads is $69.99 for the first year (regularly $99.99/year); Max Ad-Free is $104.99 (regularly $149.99/year); and Max Ultimate Ad-Free, which offers select content in 4K Ultra HD, is $139.99 (regularly $199.99/year).
Warner Bros. Discovery had planned to launch an add-on pay tier on Max for sports under the Bleacher Report brand in time for the NCAA March Madness men’s basketball tournament. However, in early January said it was delaying the rollout of the paid tier, citing technical issues. The Bleacher Report live sports add-on, which carries telecasts from TBS, TNT and truTV, for now is being offered free on Max under a trial run; pricing for the paid tier, when that goes live, is set to be $9.99 per month.
The discount on Max’s annual plans is available through April 9 in the U.S. The offer is available to new, existing, and returning customers on Max; new and returning customers via the Apple App Store, Google Play Store and Roku; and new customers on Amazon Fire. Compared with per-month pricing, the discounted annual plans are 40% less.
Additionally, Max will debut two exclusive shows to highlight games and offer in-depth analysis for the college hoops tourney: “Max Bracket Breakdown” (premieres Thursday, March 21), a one-hour March Madness preview streaming exclusively on Max each day before the in-studio pregame shows; and “Max Daily Replay” (premieres Friday, March 22), a daily showcase of top moments from on and off the court and across social media.
Sports fans can also check out curated March Madness content on Max throughout the tournament, like “Build a Winning Bracket” and “Your Team Won? Watch This Next!” that include bracket advice, game previews and highlights as well as sports documentaries like “Shaq,” “The Inside Story” and “Real Sports With Bryant Gumbel.”
In addition, Max is hosting the “Max Fan Favorites Bracket,” a knockout tournament on the @streamonmax’s account Instagram Stories where programming from four distinct genres (drama, comedy, unscripted, fantasy/sci-fi) will compete in a voting bracket. As fans cast their votes for their favorites, the winners and associated content will then be showcased in the “Max Fan Favorite Bracket” in-app collection on Max. Voting has begun and the final round begins on Monday, March 18.
Pictured above: Andre Jackson Jr. (44) of the Connecticut Huskies is fouled as he drives to the basket against Micah Parrish (3) of the San Diego State Aztecs during the 2023 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament National Championship game in Houston.
