Max is Changing its name BACK to HBO Max

In a press release, WBD said “returning the HBO brand into HBO Max will further drive the service forward and amplify the uniqueness that subscribers can expect from the offering. It is also a testament to WBD’s willingness to keep boldly iterating its strategy and approach — leaning heavily on consumer data and insights — to best position itself for success.”

WBD touted its streaming business growth, noting the division has improved its profitability by almost $3 billion in two years, and added 22 million subscribers over the past year. The company says the streamer is on track to reach more than 150 million subscribers by the end of 2026.

“The powerful growth we have seen in our global streaming service is built around the quality of our programming,” Warner Bros. Discovery president and CEO David Zaslav told the audience in the Theater at Madison Square Garden. “Today, we are bringing back HBO, the brand that represents the highest quality in media, to further accelerate that growth in the years ahead.”

WBD’s naming flip-flopping for its flagship streaming service — which has caused more than a little confusion among consumers — amounts to an admission by the company it can’t be as broad as the industry leader, Netflix. The original justification for dropping HBO from HBO Max was to signal a something-for-everyone content cornucopia.

Warner Bros. Discovery president and CEO of streaming JB Perrette added: “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.”

“With the course we are on and strong momentum we are enjoying, we believe HBO Max far better represents our current consumer proposition,” Casey Bloys, chairman and CEO of HBO and Max content, said. “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.”

Via: Variety