From HBO Max to Max and now HBO Max again
Warner Bros. Discovery reverses the renaming of HBO Max to Max. After only two years, the streaming service returns to the old name. The step is to focus on the well-known and traditional HBO quality again.
Streaming giant corrects brand strategy
Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) takes a rather surprising U -turn: The Max streaming service is renamed HBO Max again. The media group announced this change on Wednesday. The return to the original name takes place only two years after the renaming, which at that time caused a lot of discussion in the industry.
The decision should also reflect a strategic change: Instead of relying on a wide range of masses, WBD wants to focus more on high -quality content in the future. “We will continue to focus on what makes us unique – not everything in the household, but something special and great for adults and families,” said JB Perrette, President and CEO of the streaming area. How Variety reports, the group can show considerable success despite the change of name: the streaming business has improved its profitability by almost three billion dollars in the past two years and won 22 million new subscribers last year. The company is aiming for more than 150 million subscribers by the end of 2026.
Quality brand HBO
The HBO brand has stood for award -winning series such as The Sopranos, The Wire, Game of Thrones and Succession for decades. The original decision to remove the name HBO from the streaming platform was made in 2022 when Warner Bros. merged with Discovery. At that time, management argued that a broader name fits better to a more comprehensive content offer that also includes reality TV from Discovery and films by Warner Bros.
Critics, however, point out that there is no second brand in the US TV that stands better for quality than HBO. The return to the HBO branding now signals a realignment to the prestige image for which HBO is known. Industry experts see this an admission of the group that the HBO brand represents a considerable value that should not be given up lightly. While Netflix dominates the market with over 300 million subscribers, WBD is currently increasingly focusing on debt reduction instead of new content. The name change is considered an admission that you cannot be as broad as the market leader Netflix.
Social media react humorous
Warner Bros. Discovery’s social media team took the expected reactions on the Internet with humor: “Thesis Rebrands Are Trying to Murder Me” (these renams try to kill me), wrote the team to X. The revived HBO-MAX account posted a clip from “Game of Thrones” with the comment “What is Dead May Never” (What is dead can never die) – a suitable reference to the official motto of the Greyoy’s house from the popular fantasy series – and a lot more.
