Warner Bros. Discovery will temporarily offer its new live sports tier to “Max” subscribers for no additional fee. Plus: HBO’s “Real Sports” is going off the air after nearly three decades; ESPN officially announces its new football show.
WBD to temporarily offer sports on Max for no additional fee
The soon-to-launch live sports tier of the Warner Bros. Discovery “Max” streaming service will initially be available to subscribers for no additional fee, Bloomberg reported Wednesday. Per the report, WBD plans to wait until early next year before charging extra for the sports offering, which as reported by CNBC last month is expected to feature simulcasts of sporting events on TNT and TBS.
WBD has yet to officially announce its live sports streaming plan, but per the original CNBC report it is expected to launch next month. (Bloomberg 9.6)
HBO’s “Real Sports” ending
The HBO Sports newsmagazine series “Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel” will end after this season, it was announced Tuesday. Gumbel told the industry website Deadline that the decision was his: “I’m proud of the imprint we’ve made, so I’m ready to turn the page. … I’ve decided that now’s the time to move on.”
“Real Sports” debuted in 1995 and along with ESPN’s “E:60” is one of the only sports-focused newsmagazine shows on television. (Deadline 9.6)
ESPN announces new football show
ESPN on Wednesday officially announced the launch of a new Monday afternoon football studio show titled “Monday Blitz,” which will focus on both college and pro football. The show, which was first reported by the New York Post last month, will feature host Michael Eaves and analysts Herm Edwards and Booger McFarland, with Pete Thamel, Adam Schefter and Mel Kiper Jr. as regular contributors.
The show will debut Monday and run weekly in the 3 PM ET timeslot previously occupied by “NFL Rewind.”
ESPN also announced a change to its NFL reporting lineup Wednesday, with Lindsey Thiry replacing Dianna Russini as the network’s national NFL reporter. The network also announced a contract extension for NFL insider Jeremy Fowler.
Not officially announced by ESPN, but reported by the New York Post, is a contract extension for “NFL Live” analyst Mina Kimes. Per the Post, Kimes will remain with ESPN under a $1.7 million/year deal and continue in her other roles with Omaha Productions and Meadowlark Media. (ESPN PR, NYP 9.6)
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