HBO Max will soon start streaming the United States or US soccer games live as part of its subscription services, after inking a hefty $200 million deal with the US Soccer Federation.
CARSON, CALIFORNIA - FEBRUARY 20: Sofia Huerta #8 of the United States kicks the ball in a match against New Zealand during the SheBelieves Cup 2022 at Dignity Health Sports Park on February 20, 2022 in Carson, California.
HBO Max and US Soccer Games
The sports division of WarnerMedia, which owns HBO Max, Turner Sports, inked an exclusive deal with the US Soccer Federation, as per a news story by The Verge.
Thus, upcoming US soccer matches will be airing live on the various platforms of the firm, including channels, such as TBS and TNT, as well as the streaming service, HBO Max.
The soccer games in the US will start to air on HBO Max, starting in 2023, which expands up to eight years.
That said, the streaming platform is slated to live stream over 20 matches, which includes both the women's and men's national soccer teams in the country, in a year.
Meanwhile, WarnerMedia said in its announcement that the other half of the soccer games are exclusively airing on its other channels, such as TBS and TNT.
HBO Max and Live Sports Streaming
It is worth noting that it is not the first rodeo of HBO Max when it comes to streaming live sports matches.
In fact, The Verge noted in the same news story that WarnerMedia also partnered with the National Hockey League in 2021. The agreement includes the broadcast of its games on HBO Max.
Now, the streaming of HBO, which closely competes with other giant platforms like Netflix and DisneyPlus, is scheduled to increase its sports programming to attract more users.
BURBANK, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 29: Kevin Reilly, Content Officer of HBO Max and President of TNT, TBS, & TruTV, speaks onstage at HBO Max WarnerMedia Investor Day Presentation at Warner Bros. Studios on October 29, 2019 in Burbank, California.
The president of Turner Sports, Lenny Daniels, said in his statement that the latest deal shows their "commitment to the distribution of premium live sports content on HBO Max." He added that the recent move also fuels the other platforms of WarnerMedia, such as its entertainment channels and its digital assets.
Streaming Services and Sports Programming
According to a recent story by Hollywood Reporter, it is also not the first instance that a streaming service tried to use live sports programming to propel its growth.
It is interesting to point out that other rival video streaming services of HBO Max have their own versions of live sports offerings as well.
For instance, the streaming platform of NBC Universal, Peacock, includes live games of WWE wrestling, Olympics events, and Premier League soccer games.
On the other hand, another service, Paramount +, also streams live matches of PGA golf, NFL games, as well as March Madness soccer, basketball, and more sports.
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Written by Teejay Boris
