USA – Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) revealed that its flagship streaming service, Max, will be rebranded as HBO Max this summer, marking a strategic return to the iconic HBO brand for its streaming service to emphasise quality and distinctiveness in content.
The rebrand was announced during WBD’s Upfront presentation at Madison Square Garden, where JB Perrette, president and CEO of streaming, and Casey Bloys, chairman and CEO of HBO and Max Content, outlined the rationale behind the change.
The return to the HBO name reflects the company’s ongoing strategic adjustments, which prioritise high-performing content and audience preferences based on consumer data and viewing trends.
“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,” said Perrette.
“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,” added Bloys.
Warner Bros. Discovery’s streaming business has seen a significant turnaround, improving profitability by nearly $3 billion over two years and adding 22 million subscribers in the past year. The company attributes this growth to a strategic focus on high-performing content—such as HBO programming, recent films, docuseries, select reality shows, and original content—while scaling back on lower-engagement genres. The shift also reflects evolving consumer preferences, with viewers increasingly seeking quality over quantity in streaming content.
David Zaslav, president and CEO of Warner Bros. Discovery, said, “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.”
