Say goodbye to the “HBO” in HBO Max as Warner Bros. Discovery Inc. will strip the HBO brand from the service’s name to rechristen it as just plain “Max.”
HBO is on the verge of outliving yet another existential challenge — its relatively brief and mostly awkward stint as a hyper-maximized, mass-prestigious streaming brand.
Time to wave goodbye to the HBO in HBO Max.
At a news conference Wednesday afternoon, David Zaslav, the chief executive officer of Warner Bros. Discovery Inc., will reveal a bunch of changes to the company’s marquee subscription streaming service. Among other things, Zaslav will explain how the rebranded streamer will incorporate a large influx of relatively low-cost, reality programming from its newish corporate sibling Discovery and how it will be marketed.
Most notably, roughly one year after completing the giant merger of WarnerMedia and Discovery, Zaslav will strip the HBO brand from the service’s name. According to multiple reports, HBO Max is expected to be re-christened Max.
MacDailyNews Take: HBO has had one of the worst branding efforts throughout recent years: HBO GO, HBO Now, HBO Max. Only Apple could rival HBO for confusing naming: Apple TV (hardware), Apple TV (app), Apple TV+ (service). Try explaining that to the average person – it’s fun! Apple will now be the undisputed King of Confusion Mountain™ as “Max” greatly simplifies things for Warner Bros. Discovery’s streaming service.
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“HBO” represents deeply ingrained quality programming from decades of cultural branding (“It’s not TV it’s HBO”).
They should call the service simply “HBO.”
“Max” means nothing and is vapor in consumer consciousness.
Couldn’t agree more about Apple. Gone are the days of Jobsian simplicity.
Is Zaslav secretly working to destroy the corporate monster he’s running? HBO has created one of the best “brands” in all of entertainment in that it actually stands for something — thoughtful, and quality movies, documentaries and series. It was the first premium service most of us signed up for, back in the days of cable boxes and DVRs.
That Zaslav places so little value on what HBO stands for says a lot about the thinking of corporate execs whose goal of “maximizing shareholder value” only look at short-term profits, and not the long-term health of their companies. More’s the pity.
The first HBO movie presentation the 1971 film “Sometimes a Great Notion,” starring Paul Newman and Henry Fonda.
So, Home Box Office debuted as the smartest and specifically most useful name for a premium entertainment service at home. NOTHING, I repeat NOTHING, explains its purpose so aptly and elegantly as HBO, that stands the test of time and never goes out of style.
Calling it Max has ZERO to do with describing the pioneer of home movie watching, outside the theater and drive-Ins.
What, are the empty head adolescents in charge now minus history and long term thinking making these stupid decisions? Obviously without thought and purposefully CONTRIVED to elicit an immediate reaction. That’s it!?!?!
Condoms, laundry detergent and smartphones come in MAX. What the hell does a nebulous adjective have to do with premium entertainment in your home? Dumb, da dumb, dumb…
Yeah, I think Cinemax when I think “Max”– how does this not stir a lawsuit?
MDN, spot on about Apple TV… so, so fun to explain lol
And…Cinemax is TW as well. Ha. I confuse that with Showtime.
Wow. HBO killing one of the longest running video media names in the industry. Slow clap.
An excellent example of what HBO can produce is the historical drama “Chernobyl”. It is five one hour episode series of what happened. Very difficult to stop watching it all in one night.
Strange move. Next thing you know Dunkin’ Donuts will remove the word donuts.
“incorporate a large influx of relatively low-cost, reality programming” – WTF? I can’t stand reality programming. What a waste.