HBO Max Returns As Streaming Service Reverts Name Again

HBO Max is back as Warner Bros. Discovery rebrands its streaming service once more in a nod to prestige and a self-aware social media rollout.

In the ever-spinning carousel of streaming service branding, Max is once again becoming HBO Max — and this time, Warner Bros. Discovery is fully embracing the ride.

The company announced the latest name reversal on Wednesday during a presentation in New York, revealing that Max will officially revert to HBO Max this summer. It’s a move designed to bring back the prestige and recognition associated with the original HBO brand — and it comes with a healthy dose of self-deprecating humor on social media.

Warner Bros. Discovery leaned into the absurdity of its own branding journey by sharing a variety of memes. One image depicted a pigeon perched on the WB water tower as white smoke drifted from a chimney, mimicking the Vatican’s papal conclave, with the caption: “A new brand has been chosen.” Another playful nod featured three cartoon Supermen pointing at each other — a clever spin on the infamous Spider-Man meme — a subtle flex since Superman is, of course, owned by Warner Bros. Discovery.

The HBO brand has had a winding path in the streaming space. It began in 2010 as HBO Go, followed by HBO Now in 2014. Then came HBO Max in 2020, launched as a fully independent streaming platform. But by 2023, in a bid to simplify and broaden its appeal, the service was stripped down to just Max. Now, just two years later, the HBO Max name is being resurrected once again.

“We believe HBO Max far better represents our current consumer proposition,” said Casey Bloys, chairman and CEO of HBO and Max content. “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.”

David Zaslav, CEO of Warner Bros. Discovery, echoed that sentiment in a statement, calling HBO “the highest quality in media” and explaining the name change as a reaffirmation of that standard.

Despite the back-and-forth, the company is celebrating a recent run of success. Warner Bros. Discovery shared that its streaming business has grown by 22 million subscribers over the past two years and is now profitable. Looking forward, the company aims to hit 150 million paid global subscribers by the end of 2026.

As part of its ongoing content strategy, Warner Bros. Discovery said it will focus on box office films, docuseries, select reality TV, and original programming — while pulling back from less engaging genres.

For now, the return of HBO Max marks a full-circle moment in the streaming service’s evolution — and Warner Bros. Discovery isn’t afraid to laugh at itself along the way.