HBO Max Is Back With Warner Bros. Discovery Betting On Brand Power To Drive Subscribers

Warner Bros. Discovery is reintroducing the HBO Max name to its flagship streaming service, dropping the simplified ‘Max’ brand within two years of its launch. 

The move signals a strategic shift, with the company doubling down on quality and the prestige associated with the HBO brand name.

However, Warner Bros.’s stock was down over 1% in midday trade.

“The powerful growth we have seen in our global streaming service is built around the quality of our programming. Today, we are bringing back HBO, the brand that represents the highest quality in media, to further accelerate that growth in the years ahead,” said Warner Bros. CEO David Zaslav.

When the company rebranded HBO Max as ‘Max’ in 2023, the goal was to unify the HBO brand with Discovery’s broader content slate. However, that move downplayed HBO's prestige as the market leaned harder toward premium offerings. 

According to HBO CEO Casey Bloys, ‘Max’ didn’t fully capture the “implicit promise” to deliver shows that are “worth paying for.”

“With the course we are on and strong momentum we are enjoying, we believe HBO Max far better represents our current consumer proposition,” he stated.

Warner Bros. said it turned its streaming business around by $3 billion in just two years and added 22 million subscribers globally in the last year. 

It attributed that success to prioritizing HBO originals, box-office films, high-performing docuseries, curated reality shows, and “de-prioritizing other genres that drive less engagement or acquisition.”

Warner Bros. is targeting more than 150 million subscribers by 2026. Its executives – including Zaslav, Bloys, and Streaming CEO JB Perrette – have emphasized the role of consumer feedback and engagement data in shaping this pivot. 

Warner Bros.’s stock is down over 14% this year but has gained around 6% over the past 12 months.

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