Warner Bros Discovery has decided to rename Max back to HBO Max, two years and much criticism after dropping HBO from the name, following the merger of WarnerMedia and Discovery. It comes only two months after the most recent rebrand.
The news of the latest name change came at a Warner Bros Discovery advertising presentation in New York.
“Returning the HBO brand into HBO Max will further drive the service forward and amplify the uniqueness that subscribers can expect from the offering,” the company said. “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.”
The brand has been through several identities in recent years, starting out as HBO Max, dropping the HBO but attempting to retain a reference to it, and more recently moving to a slightly classier black and white treatment, possibly in preparation for the latest re-integration of HBO and Max.
JB Perrette, the chief executive of streaming at the company, said: “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.”
HBO Max, as it will be known, includes brands like HBO, as well as shows like Friends and The Big Bang Theory.
“We believe HBO Max far better represents our current consumer proposition,” said Casey Bloys, the chief executive of HBO and Max Content. “The good news is I have a drawer full of stationery from the last round, so I’m all set.”
The WBD online business added 22 million customers over the last year. It has 57.6 million in the United States and a further 64.6 million internationally. The aim is to reach 150 million worldwide by the end of 2026.
HBO started out as the Home Box Office cable network in 1972. It started producing original programming in the nineties, with shows like The Sopranos and The Wire receiving critical acclaim. For many, HBO was synonymous with high quality programming, and dropping the name in favour of Max, which sounded like a cola drink, was seen as a mistake. That has now been addressed.