HBO Max is coming back — Warner Bros. Discovery is renaming its streaming service, again

A scene from season 3 of The White Lotus. Source: HBO | Warner Bros.

HBO changed to HBO Max, then to Max, and is now reverting back to HBO Max.
Warner Bros. Discovery will rename its streaming platform again this summer, reintroducing a name abandoned just two years ago. The rebranding was announced Wednesday during the upfront presentation in New York.
This renaming reflects Warner Bros. Discovery’s aim to reduce its content volume and prioritize high-quality programming and storytelling.
David Zaslav, CEO of Warner Bros. Discovery, stated, “The significant growth of our global streaming service is rooted in the excellence of our programming. Today, we are reintroducing HBO, a brand synonymous with top-tier media quality, to further drive this growth in the future.”
The company’s streaming business has significantly improved its profitability by nearly $3 billion in the last two years and expanded globally with approximately 22 million new subscribers in the past year. Warner Bros. Discovery aims to surpass 150 million subscribers by the end of 2026.
However, Warner Bros. Discovery will no longer have live rights to NBA games starting next season. The company’s focus has shifted towards reducing debt rather than investing in new content to compete with Netflix, which boasts over 300 million subscribers.
Interestingly, the HBO Max branding was initially introduced in 2019 to demonstrate HBO’s global streaming ambitions. Now, Warner Bros. Discovery is reintroducing the same name but with a focus on quality content over quantity.
JB Perrette, president and CEO of streaming at Warner Bros. Discovery, remarked, “We will continue to focus on what sets us apart – providing unique and exceptional content for adults and families, not trying to cater to everyone in a household. Our programming truly stands out.”
Competitor Disney has adopted a similar strategy, with CEO Bob Iger emphasizing quality content as the key to success in streaming.
Legacy media companies have faced challenges in making their streaming services profitable since launching them in recent years. This has led to a greater emphasis on advertising tiers, cracking down on password sharing, and offering more bundled streaming services.
The Upfronts week in New York has seen several naming announcements: ESPN’s upcoming flagship streaming app will be called ESPN, Fox’s new streamer will be Fox One, and Comcast’s cable portfolio spinoff recently unveiled its new holding company name, Versant.
Warner Bros. Discovery initially launched its standalone streaming service HBO Max in 2020 while still under AT&T ownership. The “Max” addition indicated the platform’s diverse content offerings, including reality TV, documentaries, children’s programming, movies, and HBO titles.
Leadership believed at the time that HBO’s audience was too small, primarily U.S.-based, and that more value could be gained by positioning HBO as a sub-brand within a larger streaming service.
In 2023, the service was renamed Max following the merger of Discovery Communications and WarnerMedia, which was divested from AT&T in 2022. Content from Discovery+ was integrated into HBO Max under the new name.
Now, two years later, Warner Bros. Discovery is reversing this decision.
Disclosure: Comcast is CNBC’s parent company. Versant will be CNBC’s new parent company under the proposed cable portfolio spinoff.