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Max is renamed HBO Max again, but don't expect all the shows and movies that have disappeared from the streamer since the last rebranding to also get the comeback treatment
Everyone who kept calling Max 'HBO Max' after the 2023 rebrand, congratulations: you were right all along
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Hey, remember back in 2023, when Warner Bros. Discovery announced that its streaming service was going to be renamed from ‘HBO Max’ to ‘Max,’ because the service offered more than just HBO programming? Well, forget it again, because as of this summer, Max is once again going to be called HBO Max — and WBD wants you to know that the reversal is a good thing, actually.
According to the press release announcing the about-face, the rebranding-of-the-rebranding (un-branding?) is “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.” That’s right; constantly changing the corporate mind and backtracking on decisions is “boldly iterating […] strategy and approach.” Just remember that in future.
The announcement also quotes WBD president and CEO David Zaslav as saying that the rebrand is a sign that the growth of the streaming service — which has added 22 million subscribers over the past twelve months — is everything working out just as planned. “Today, we are bringing back HBO, the brand that represents the highest quality in media, to further accelerate that growth in the years ahead,” he is quoted as saying.
Despite dropping HBO from the service’s name in 2023, WBD has been slowly moving back to this stage for awhile; in June 2024, it was announced that high-profile original content for the service would be branded as ‘HBO Originals,’ instead of ‘Max Originals.’ In March 2025, the Max logo and visual branding got an update that some noted at the time evoked HBO’s branding.
What does this mean for subscribers? Right now, very little beyond no longer having to be shamed for misremembering the service's name. It's possible that the new name might coincide with more HBO content being added to the service in the future, although I wouldn't lay money on that outcome; the announcement of the rebranding also boasted about the paucity of content on the streamer these days: "No consumer today is saying they want more content, but most consumers are saying they want better content," it explains at one point. "With other services filling the more basic needs with volume, WBD has clearly distinguished itself through its quality and distinct stories." (And, you know, lots and lots of true crime and makeover shows.)
Now, the walkback of the 2023 Max makeover is complete. Think of it this way; it took awhile, but Warner Bros. Discovery has simply learned the truth behind a decades-old advertising slogan: it’s not TV, it’s HBO. And if this doesn't stick second time around, there's always more bold iteration to go.
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