Warner Bros. Discovery gives up, re-renames streamer "HBO Max"
WBD chalks the change up to "growth" and "momentum," rather than admitting a mistake.
Image courtesy Warner Bros. Discovery
Bullying works! At Wednesday’s Warner Bros. Discovery upfront presentation (attended by The A.V. Club), HBO boss Casey Bloys announced the company is re-renaming its streaming service. Bloys acknowledged that recent strategy shifts prompted “commentary for many of our fans and observers who suggested that the HBO brand should therefore return to the name of the service.” While those folks were “grumbling,” as Bloys put it, “we were doing our own assessment. My team and I are well aware of what the HBO brand means to the industry and the consumers. So that’s right. I’m happy to announce that this summer HBO will be elevated back into the name of the service as Max becomes HBO Max.”
Bloys’ observation that this “commentary” was prompted by the company’s “new strategy” (lately, an attempt at stronger delineations between streaming and cable programming) is of course an understatement. Commentary on how ridiculous the “Max” name was began as soon as rumors of the name change started circulating in 2022. For years industry experts have puzzled as to why WBD CEO David Zaslav would shed the name that not only has the most brand recognition, but also the one audiences most associate with quality television. After two years, the streamer is finally giving in and accepting what we all knew to be true the entire time.
