It’s not Max, it’s HBO Max: Streaming service changes name again
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox
The White Lotus has been a massive hit for HBO’s streaming service.
PHOTO: AFP
Follow topic:
NEW YORK – Warner Bros Discovery is changing the name of its flagship streaming service back to HBO Max, part of a broader strategic shift designed to re-emphasise premium programming for adults.
The company announced the change, which will be effective in June, at its annual presentation to advertisers in New York on May 14.
Leading up to the streaming service’s launch in the spring of 2020, there was much internal debate about what to call it.
Eventually, executives decided to name it HBO Max, a way of incorporating its storied HBO cable brand – known for popular, edgy hits from Game of Thrones to The Sopranos – while positioning the new product as a premium service that would cost more than rivals Netflix or Disney+.
From the outset, sign-ups were sluggish, and many consumers were confused by the branding and how HBO Max differed from the company’s existing streaming products, HBO Go and HBO Now.
In 2023, following WarnerMedia’s merger with Discovery, Mr David Zaslav, the chief executive officer of the combined companies, announced that the service would be dropping HBO from its name in favour of a more generic brand name
At the time, the re-branding left many observers scratching their heads. Critics derided the move, saying it jettisoned a brand famous for prestige television. Now, the Max experiment is over.
“Today, we are bringing back HBO, the brand that represents the highest quality in media, to further accelerate that growth in the years ahead,” Mr Zaslav said in a statement on May 14.
Recently, much of the streaming service’s buzz has come from popular HBO shows, including the third season of The White Lotus, which was a massive hit.
HBO Max also houses brands, including Harry Potter, A24 films and iconic broadcast-TV shows like Friends.
Warner Bros’ streaming business has added 22 million subscribers over the past year, and the company expects to have more than 150 million by the end of 2026.
At the end of the first quarter, it reported 122.3 million subscribers and an adjusted profit of US$339 million (S$440 million). BLOOMBERG
