Tag: HBO Max

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.”

Singapore – Direct-to-consumer streaming platform HBO Max has named Jason Monteiro as its newest general manager for Southeast Asia, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. Through the new role, Monteiro will be responsible for the day-to-day operations of WarnerMedia’s direct-to-consumer business, leading content experience, brand, marketing, subscriber management, digital partnerships and data analytics.

He will be temporarily reporting to Johannes Larcher, head of HBO Max International, until a new managing director for the broader INSEAK region (India, Southeast Asia and Korea) is appointed.

With extensive OTT leadership experience across Asia-Pacific and the Middle East, Monteiro will also oversee the existing HBO GO streaming service and the eventual launch of HBO Max in the region, building and leading a team of cross-functional executives to maximize the streamer’s success.

Prior to joining HBO Max, he was the director of AVOD at Shahid, a leading Arabic content streaming platform. Prior to Shahid, he was the general manager of Indonesia and Malaysia for iflix, and he also ran marketing as the company’s chief marketing officer. He has also held leadership roles at a number of telecommunications companies across Southeast Asia and the Middle East, as well as in Australia and New Zealand.

Speaking about his appointment, he said, “I could not be more excited to be joining this amazing organization and in particular to lead the charge for HBO Max. It’s going to be such a thrill to work with the people across WarnerMedia to bring the likes of ‘Game of Thrones,’ ‘Harry Potter,’ DC, Warner Bros., HBO favorites, new Max Originals and many more, to the viewers in Southeast Asia.”

Meanwhile, Larcher commented, “Jason arrives at HBO Max with a proven track record of building and growing subscription services across Asia and other important global markets. He’s a passionate leader known for building and inspiring high-performing teams, and I’m eager to see his leadership in action as he steps into his new role today.”

Singapore – As the company aims to expand its streaming services across new markets in Asia, subscription video on demand (VOD) streaming service HBO Max has announced the appointment of Amit Malhotra as HBO Max’s managing director for Southeast Asia and India.

He will immediately assume responsibility for the management of HBO GO, WarnerMedia’s existing OTT streaming service available in eight territories across Southeast Asia. In the future, he will spearhead the introduction of HBO Max in these territories and will lead WarnerMedia’s exploration of future opportunities to launch the streaming platform in additional markets, as well as a potential future launch in India.

Under Malhotra’s leadership, WarnerMedia expects to launch HBO Max in Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, and in Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam in the future, including an expanded content offering for the entire family and a premium new platform that would be hosted on HBO Max’s tech stack, providing a more stable and consistent streaming experience than HBO GO. 

Prior to his new role, Malhotra most recently served as regional lead for Disney+ in Southeast Asia, where he was responsible for overseeing the launch and operations of Disney’s streaming services in the region, including Disney+, Disney+ Hotstar and Hotstar. He also led the content sales and distribution division as part of The Walt Disney Company’s Direct-to Consumer & International (DTCI) business in South APAC and Middle East.

Speaking about his appointment, he said, “I am delighted to be part of the incredible team at WarnerMedia in Asia as we look at bringing HBO Max to this region. WarnerMedia’s brands including DC Universe, HBO and Cartoon Network are extremely popular with passionate fans and audiences across this region. With a focus on consumers our goal will be to bring all of these brands and content together in an exciting new world class streaming experience as we move into the future with HBO Max.”

He will report to Johannes Larcher, head of HBO Max International, who commented that with their upcoming launch across Latin America on 29 June and plans for Europe in the future, they turned their sights toward Asia, where they have an incredible opportunity to bring HBO Max to millions of new fans who are just as excited about streaming as their audiences in the United States.

“Amit’s experience launching streaming services in both mature and emerging markets across Southeast Asia and the surrounding region make him the ideal leader to plan and oversee the rollout of HBO Max and its expanded content offering and platform experience,” Larcher said.

The HBO Max team in Southeast Asia will build on the partnership with Clement Schwebig, managing director for India, Southeast Asia, and Korea at WarnerMedia, and members of his team including Magdalene Ew, head of content at HBO Asia; Yasmin Zahid, head of distribution at HBO Asia, as well as Leslie Lee, head of kids for APAC at HBO, in a collaboration that’s pivotal to the success of HBO GO and HBO Max in the region.