Two years after Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) rebranded its streaming service to Max, the company is reverting to its old name. The company announced the good news at its Upfront presentation on Wednesday, with the name change becoming official this summer.
When Max launched in 2023, the revamped platform was positioned as a win for subscribers, giving them access to 35,000 hours of entertainment, as well as new features, an updated interface, and overall better performance.
The name change was made to eliminate confusion, as the HBO Max streaming service included not only HBO content but also programming from all WBD-owned networks, such as CNN, the Discovery Channel, Food Network, HGTV, TLC, and more. Additionally, this change was meant to broaden its appeal beyond adult viewers, incorporating more family-friendly titles from Discovery.
Despite these intentions, many viewers criticized the name change. Now, it seems that WBD has reevaluated its approach. Instead of focusing on a large volume of diverse content, the streaming service is prioritizing quality programming.
During the WBD Upfront, Casey Bloys, chairman and CEO of HBO and Max content, said, “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 recognized as unique and, to steal a line we always said at HBO, worth paying for.”
The shift comes after WBD reportedly removed hundreds of hours of titles earlier this month, such as several “90 Day” spin-offs and “Ghost Adventures,” according to a Reddit post. So it appears that Discovery’s reality shows, initially intended to boost the Max name, didn’t drive enough engagement for the streamer after all.
Nonetheless, HBO Max continues to be one of the top streaming services. The company touted its growth in the announcement, reporting an addition of 22 million subscribers in the past year, keeping it on track to reach over 150 million by 2026.
