In France, streaming service regulars have been familiar with Max since its launch in the country last year, just in time to rebroadcast the Paris Olympic Games. But the Warner Bros. Discovery group's platform hasn't always had that name. In the United States, the service debuted in 2020 under the name HBO Max. Ultimately, the prefix associated with the famous American television channel was dropped when the platform merged with Discovery Plus and the service was exported across the globe. Except that Warner Bros. is now apparently kicking itself.
During a presentation held at Madison Square Garden in New York on Wednesday, May 14, 2025, the CEO of Warner Bros. Discovery finally announced a return to Max. According to David Zaslav, the streaming platform is doing very well, but it will do even better by reintegrating the HBO brand into its name: “The strong growth we've seen in our global streaming service is driven by the quality of our programming. Today, we're bringing back HBO, the brand that represents the highest quality in media, to further accelerate this growth in the years to come.”
A “new” name to counter competitors
This abrupt change of identity doesn't come out of nowhere. The backtracking seemed to have begun when the rebooted Harry Potter series lost its “Max Original” name in favor of the HBO brand. But today's statements finally allow us to understand the logic behind these changes. The problem isn't the name Max itself, but the image consumers associate with major streaming platforms.
Today, other major services such as Netflix and Disney+ seem to be prioritizing quantity over quality, while drastically increasing their prices. And according to David Zaslav, HBO's reputation for quality deserves to be associated with Max's image:
"This evolution (of the streaming market, editor's note) has been influenced by the changing needs of consumers and by the fact that no consumer today prefers more content over better content. While other services meet the most basic needs through volume, Warner Bros Discovery has clearly distinguished itself through its quality and distinctive stories, and no brand has done this better and more consistently for over 50 years than HBO."
The message is clear: Warner Bros does not want to be associated with its competitors. Now, will this name change have a real impact on viewers around the world, who are less likely to know HBO's reputation? Nothing is less certain. But what is certain is that some users may be wondering why a new app called HBO Max has installed itself on their smartphones and tablets. Good luck explaining that to your older relatives!
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