TNT Sports

Alright, so here’s the scoop—and honestly, this one’s kinda juicy if you’re into sports or just love streaming chaos. Warner Bros. Discovery is about to split up like a band with creative differences, and apparently, they’ve decided the world needs yet another sports app. Yup, buckle up: a standalone TNT Sports streaming app is on the way, and they’re making it sound like the next big thing since sliced ​​bread (or at least since cable-cutting got cool).

CFO Gunnar Wiedenfels—the guy’s name sounds straight out of a Bond flick—let it slip during some investor call that, hey, this won’t just be another app lost in your phone’s endless folder of “Stuff I Downloaded Once.” Nope, TNT Sports is coming as a standalone AND bundled with other stuff, like Discovery+ (which I totally forgot existed, not gonna lie) and maybe even HBO Max, or whatever they’re calling that now. Oh, and they’re open to “other partners.” Translation: if you’ve got money and a streaming service, let’s talk.

Sports junkies, this could be your golden ticket. Imagine catching your NBA games and a whole bunch of other live sports right alongside whatever else you binge these days. Wiedenfels even mentioned cozying up to social media big shots like Picture Report and House of Highlights to snag the TikTok crowd. Because, apparently, if you’re not on social, do you even exist?

And don’t get it twisted—this isn’t some half-baked side hustle. Sports is the main dish for Discovery Global now. Wiedenfels literally spelled it out: everything’s moving off HBO Max. So if you’re still watching March Madness or NASCAR over there, start preparing your goodbyes. He’s not about to go on a spending spree for new rights, either, unless something mind-blowing comes up. The man’s got discipline—well, or at least he’s pretending for the investors.

If they see a shot to grab some new sports rights because some other media giant is fumbling the ball? You bet they’ll jump in—if shareholders can make a buck, anyway. Because, you know, money talks and all that.

And just when you thought it couldn’t get messier, Discovery Global is also dragging discovery+ back from the dead (pour one out for its first run) and giving CNN’s streaming another go—even though last time it flamed out in record time. Hey, maybe the third time’s the charm? Or not. We’ll see. Alright, let’s talk about 2026. Discovery Global’s about to make its grand entrance, and let me tell you—Wiedenfels is basically buzzing. The guy sounds like he just chugged three espressos. Yeah, the new outfit’s going to be lugging around more debt than Warner Bros., but he’s waving off the hand-wringers and telling investors, “Relax, we’ve still got cash to burn.” Apparently, instead of just funneling all their money into HBO Max or the studio machine, they’ll actually get to do some real investing—find pockets of growth, sniff around for opportunities that would’ve been ignored in the old WBD mega-corp. Sounds like he’s itching to do stuff that finally makes sense for them, not just for some giant conglomerate.

So, after this big split, Zaslav sticks with Studios & Streaming, Wiedenfels gets to run Discovery Global Networks, and Brad Singer steps in as the new CFO at Warner Bros. Musical chairs has never been so corporate.

All this is happening while ESPN and Fox are out there launching their own streaming services, trying to resurrect the ghost of Venu Sports (which, let’s be real, flopped pretty hard). Competition is fierce—like, “could cut the tension with a butter knife” fierce. Everyone’s watching TNT Sports to see what wild move they pull next.

Right now, if you want TNT Sports, you can find it on HBO Max. But not for long; that’s about to be history. Wiedenfels basically came out and said, “Sports in the U.S. is leaving HBO Max, so yeah, we need our own streaming pad.” Silberwasser and his crew are already deep in the weeds, racing to get everything ready for the big spin-off in 2026.

Now, sure, there’s a laundry list of challenges. Traditional TVs are circling the drain, and WBD still has a debt mountain north of $37 billion. Not exactly pocket change. But Wiedenfels? Guy’s still grinning. He thinks Discovery Global, free from the corporate straitjacket, can finally move fast, chase real growth, and maybe even shake up sports streaming for good.

He keeps hammering the point: sports are their bread and butter, but they’re not just going to throw cash at anything that moves. “Gotta be disciplined,” he says, but also clearly loves the current lineup. And what if some new sports rights hit the market while everyone else is busy rearranging their streaming empires? Discovery Global’s absolutely going to swoop in for a look.

Bottom line: With a shiny new streaming platform in the works, the sports entertainment scene’s about to get even rowdier. Buckle up. Discovery Global looks ready to make some serious noise.