Max Makes Full 180 Turn By Rebranding Back to 'HBO Max' to Compete Against Netflix

It has been two years since Warner Bros. Discovery rebranded its streaming platform to simply being called "Max," but it is now reverting to its original name, "HBO Max." In 2023, after Warner Bros. and Discovery's merger that brought together two entertainment giants as one, they decided to give their streaming platform a more universal name that encompasses what both offer.

Since then, Max has given the world the best of both Warner Bros. and Discovery's content after Discovery+ joined the streaming platform, but it still was not enough to compete with larger rivals.

Max Makes Full 180 by Rebranding Back to 'HBO Max'

A new press release from Warner Bros. Discovery shared the latest update on Max as it will rebrand for the second time by returning back to HBO Max. The change will happen this summer, but there are no specific dates the company has revealed regarding when the HBO Max name will return.

The company took the opportunity to announce this latest change during the Warner Bros. Discovery Upfront presentation, claiming that this change centers on customers wanting "better" quality content over quantity.

With this change, Warner Bros. Discovery wants to show customers that it can "drive the service forward and amplify uniqueness" from what it can offer on its streaming experiences, with HBO Max taking the lead.

New HBO Max Aims to Compete With Netflix

According to Warner Bros. Discovery President and CEO, David Zaslav, the HBO brand "represents the highest quality in media," and they want to accelerate its streaming platform's growth through it.

WBD wants to further grow their platform to compete against top rivals in the market, according to Ars Technica, particularly with Netflix, which is still the largest streaming platform globally.

The Full Circle Moment for Max

Almost three years ago, Warner Bros. and Discovery decided to merge and join together to take on the broadcast and entertainment world by combining their forces and assets as one. However, both companies have their streaming platforms, namely HBO Max and the Discovery+ platform, which both have different offers to consumers.

Several months after the merger, both companies have announced that they have settled on one streaming platform to feature the likes of HBO, Discovery, and other IPs. They settled on calling it "Max," and this plain and simple name was derived from the HBO Max platform, but avoided using the HBO name to signify Warner Bros. Discovery's unified approach to it.

For two years since it was launched, Max has thrived as one of the most popular streaming platforms in the world, with the service known for offering not only the gripping dramas from HBO Originals, but also the informative content from Discovery.