Max brand to be retired as company leans into HBO’s legacy of quality

After just one year under the simplified moniker Max, Warner Bros. Discovery is reversing course and bringing back the HBO Max brand, the name the streaming platform launched with in 2020.

The rebrand, set to roll out this summer, was announced on Wednesday during the company’s upfront presentation to advertisers in New York. Executives cited consumer sentiment, global momentum, and the enduring power of the HBO name as key drivers of the move.

“This evolution has also been influenced by changing consumer needs,” said JB Perrette, President and CEO of Global Streaming. “No consumer today is saying they want more content — they want better content.”

The move appears to be an acknowledgment that the decision to drop ‘HBO’ in 2023 — in an effort to broaden the platform’s appeal beyond prestige television — failed to resonate with audiences. While the rebrand was never directly labelled a misstep, Warner Bros. Discovery did refer to the reversal as a sign of its willingness to ‘boldly iterate’ based on viewer data and real-world response.

A brand built on prestige

HBO has long been synonymous with quality storytelling, with recent global hits like The White Lotus and The Last of Us reinforcing its brand cachet. The HBO Max name, according to executives, better reflects the platform’s unique proposition: “content that is recognised as unique and worth paying for,” said Casey Bloys, Chairman and CEO of HBO and Max Content.

In a candid interview, Perrette revealed that the decision to revert came after months of analysis and discussion with Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav. “David said, ‘The consumer always tells you whether you’re right or wrong… Let’s go back. That sounds like HBO,’” Perrette recounted.

New look, familiar feel

Subscribers may have already noticed early signs of the shift. The Max interface recently changed its colour scheme from blue to dark grey, echoing the original HBO Max aesthetic. The new logo will also revive the rounded letters first used in the 2020 branding.

Despite the challenges of integrating Discovery+ content and new subscription tiers for sport and news, the streaming platform has turned a profit. Projections estimate HBO Max could surpass 150 million subscribers by 2026.

Legacy meets strategy

Since the $43 billion Warner Media-Discovery merger in 2022, the company has sought to find its footing in an increasingly competitive streaming landscape. While the streamlined ‘Max’ aimed for breadth, its return to HBO Max reflects a renewed focus on depth — and distinction.

As Zaslav summed it up: “Today, we are bringing back HBO, the brand that represents the highest quality in media, to further accelerate our growth in the years ahead.”