Max is changing its name back to HBO Max from this summer, Warner Bros. Discovery has announced.
The surprise rebrand follows the change of HBO Max into Max only two years ago. Max, soon to be HBO Max, is the streaming platform home to the likes of Game of Thrones, The White Lotus, The Sopranos, The Last of Us, House of the Dragon, and The Penguin.
Announcing the change, WBD said its streaming business had turned around its profitability by almost $3 billion in just two years, and was “scaling” globally with 22 million subscribers added over the past year. It has a “clear path” to over 150 million by the end of 2026, WBD said.
“This is thanks to an enormous amount of hard work, investment and re-focusing the strategy on the programming that is working best like HBO, recent box-office movies, docuseries, certain reality series, and Max and local originals, and de-prioritizing other genres that drive less engagement or acquisition,” the company continues.
So why go back to HBO Max now? Because people associate the HBO brand with quality content that is unique and “worth paying for,” and that’s what people want now, more than ever, amid the sea of overwhelming streaming options.
“This evolution has also 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,” WBD said.
“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.
“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.”
David Zaslav, President and CEO of Warner Bros. Discovery, said: “The powerful growth we have seen in our global streaming service is built around the quality of our programming. Today, we are bringing back HBO, the brand that represents the highest quality in media, to further accelerate that growth in the years ahead.”
JB Perrette, President and CEO of Streaming, added: “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.”
And Casey Bloys, Chairman and CEO of HBO and Max Content, said: “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.”
Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.
