Tomorrow, July 9th, Warner Bros. Discovery’s streaming experiment, Max, will revert to its original branding, HBO Max, according to Deadline. The pending change was announced in May and follows impressive growth of 22 million subscribers within the last year.
Hints of a branding change were on the horizon after the blue-colored design of the Max logo instantly changed to the classic black colorway, more associated with the legacy HBO brand. According to Deadline, the initial Max name affirmed the array of programming under the newly minted WBD brand — the prestige series and content of Home Box Office, with the broad appeal of Discovery’s cable-heavy unscripted titles. However, data quickly showed that many subscribers of the HBO Max platform, which replaced HBO Go in 2020, were less likely to explore the new content from networks such as TLC, HGTV, and ID.
“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 JB Perrette, President and CEO of Streaming at WBD, on the networks’ pivot at May’s upfront presentation in an official press release. While they have seen continued growth despite the Max naming, consumers are seeking quality over quantity. A sentiment the HBO brand has always been known for.
Casey Bloys, Chairman and CEO for HBO and Max Content, added, “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.”
In addition to the name change, Deadline reports that the company plans to split its streaming and studio businesses from its cable TV subsidiaries, similar to Comcast/NBCUniversal’s recent sale of its cable networks. They aim to complete this trade by 2026 as the streaming service comes to international territories such as Italy, Germany, and the UK.
“The powerful growth we have seen in our global streaming service is built around the quality of our programming,” said WBD President and CEO, David Zaslav, at the upfront presentation.”Today, we are bringing back HBO, the brand that represents the highest quality in media, to further accelerate that growth in the years ahead.”
Don’t call it a comeback, it’s been here for years. HBO Max returns tomorrow, Wednesday, July 9.