Major Streaming Service Changes Its Name

The HBO Max name is rising from the grave.

Two years after the streaming service controversially rebranded as Max, Warner Bros. Discovery announced at its upfront presentation in New York at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday that Max will officially be renamed to HBO Max.

“The powerful growth we have seen in our global streaming service is built around the quality of our programming,” Warner Bros. Discovery president and CEO David Zaslav said. “Today, we are bringing back HBO, the brand that represents the highest quality in media, to further accelerate that growth in the years ahead.”

The name change will mark a return to normal for the streamer, which launched in 2020 under the HBO Max name and gave subscribers access to material from many other notable Warner Bros. brands, including Cartoon Network, Adult Swim, DC Entertainment, and more. However, in 2023, the service dropped HBO from its name, transitioning in a complete rebrand to simply Max, complete with a new logo featuring “Max” atop a purple background.

The transition back to HBO Max, which is set to take place sometime this summer (exact date TBD), will come after the Max brand began to take on a more familiar appearance with another logo revamp featuring the classic black-and-white HBO color scheme and rounded letters. According to Warner Bros. Discovery, the “evolution” of HBO Max to Max and now again HBO Max has “been influenced by changing consumer needs, and the fact that no consumer today is saying they want more content, but most consumers are saying they want better content.”

“With other services filling the more basic needs with volume, WBD has clearly distinguished itself through its quality and distinct stories, and no brand has done that better and more consistently over 50+ years than HBO,” the company said in a release. “Returning the HBO brand into HBO Max will further drive the service forward and amplify the uniqueness that subscribers can expect from the offering. It is also a testament to WBD’s willingness to keep boldly iterating its strategy and approach – leaning heavily on consumer data and insights – to best position itself for success.”

Discussing the name change at Wednesday’s upfront presentation, JB Perrette, President and CEO of Streaming, explained, “We will continue to focus on what makes us unique – not everything for everyone in a household, but something distinct and great for adults and families. It’s really not subjective, not even controversial – our programming just hits different.”

Casey Bloys, Chairman and CEO of HBO and Max Content, added, “With the course we are on and strong momentum we are enjoying, we believe HBO Max far better represents our current consumer proposition. And it clearly states our implicit promise to deliver content that is recognized as unique and, to steal a line we always said at HBO, worth paying for.”