WarnerMedia’s HBO Max streaming service is officially entering the live sports business as part of an eight-year agreement with the United States Football Federation.
The deal that Sports business newspaper worth more than $ 200 million, TNT / TBS and HBO Max will broadcast 20 games from the U.S. National Women’s and Men’s Teams each year, beginning in 2023. About half of those games will air on HBO Max and will air on television, and the rest are exclusive to the streaming platform.
The deal also includes digital rights and focus rights for Turner’s Report for Bleacheras well as ancillary content such as alternative broadcasts (consider ESPN’s “Manningcast”) or programming as behind-the-scenes documentaries.
“This is an important milestone for Turner Sports and WarnerMedia, further demonstrating our commitment to spreading premium sports content live on HBO Max while nurturing our leading entertainment, digital and social assets,” said Lenny Daniels, president of Turner Sports. , in a statement. “We are excited to highlight one of the most popular women’s teams in the world, along with the rising men’s national team, during the eight years of this agreement. This partnership offers us the opportunity to engage with their avid, young and diverse fans through all our Turner Sports and Bleacher Report platforms. ”
HBO Max is becoming the latest major streaming service that uses sports to stimulate subscriber growth. Paramount + Paramount broadcasts NFL games, PGA golf, college football and March Madness basketball and football, among other sports; NBCUniversal’s Peacock, meanwhile, broadcasts Premier League football, the Olympics and WWE events, among others; Disney’s ESPN +, of course, has a rich menu of streaming sports, while Hulu has exclusive rights to some NHL hockey games.
Speaking of the NHL, Turner Sports’ seven-year deal, announced last year, gave the company the opportunity to release some NHL games on HBO Max, although the company has not yet done so, as these rights will not come into play until more further in the agreement.