Max returning to HBO Max name
May 14, 2025
By Nik Roseveare
At Warner Bros Discovery’s (WBD) Upfront presentation at Madison Square Garden, New York, the company made the surprise announcement that its Max streaming service will be reverting back to its old name. The rebrand will occur this summer, and comes two years after the ‘HBO’ was dropped from ‘HBO Max’.
The decision was largely questioned at the time – given the strength of reputation the HBO brand holds in relation to premium drama – but WBD presumably saw it as a way to present its streaming platform as being for everyone, not just adults. Now WBD has attributed the rethink to “consumer data and insights” noting in a press statement: “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.”
In making the announcement, WBD championed its streaming business, saying it has turned around its profitability by almost $3 billion inside two years, with 22 million subscribers added over the past 12 months and on a “clear path” to over 150 million by the end of 2026.
David Zaslav, President and CEO of Warner Bros Discovery, commented: “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.”
Speaking at the Upfront presentation, JB Perrette, President and CEO of Streaming, 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. It’s really not subjective, not even controversial – our programming just hits different.”
Casey Bloys, Chairman and CEO of HBO and Max Content, added: “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 recognised as unique and, to steal a line we always said at HBO, worth paying for.”
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