HBO Max is back. (Photo Illustration by Soumyabrata Roy/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
NurPhoto via Getty Images
For decades, HBO carefully cultivated a brand known for bold, innovative storytelling, single-handedly ushering in the era of prestige television with The Sopranos, Six Feet Under, and The Wire.
Hence, viewers were surprised when the streamer HBO Max dropped “HBO” from its title and reverted to simply “Max” in 2023, in the wake of the merger between WarnerMedia and Discovery, creating WBD.
Why Did ‘HBO Max’ Rebrand?
The intent of the name change was to highlight that the streaming service had a library that extended beyond HBO, and included content from Warner Bros. and Discovery.
Now, WBD is bringing back the “HBO Max” title, having seemingly resolved its identity crisis.
Turns out, tossing aside a title indelibly associated with the best television shows ever made wasn’t a particularly savvy decision.
In a press release attempting to explain the logic behind the backtracking, WBD said that “consumers are saying they want better content” and “WBD has clearly distinguished itself through its quality and distinct stories, and no brand has done that better and more consistently over 50+ years than HBO.”
‘HBO Max’ Rebrand Sparks Memes And Mockery
Of course, the internet had plenty to say about the return of HBO Max—one commentator even described the backtracking as “detransitioning.”
Many were horrified imagining the money, time and effort that had gone into the re-rebranding. One wrote, “It makes me wanna die thinking how many meetings were held about this one decision.”
Some made comparisons to Elon Musk changing the name of Twitter to the generic “X,” and expressed hope that the old name would return.
Others simply had fun mocking the back-and-forth branding.
This isn’t the first rebrand for HBO Max—like a rebellious-but-indecisive teenager, the company has cycled through many different names, and some of the memes referencing the shifts were fairly elaborate.
Even the official X (Twitter) account of HBO Max joined the meme-making, using stills from iconic HBO series for some self-aware humor.
HBO fans also took the opportunity to vent their frustrations with David Zaslav, the CEO of Warner Bros. Discovery, who has made many wildly unpopular decisions, to the point where his name has become notorious online.
Among other controversies, Zaslav has made merciless budget cuts to Turner Classic Movies, scrapped completed films like Batgirl and Coyote vs. Acme for tax breaks, and removed the original, iconic Looney Tunes shorts from HBO Max.
The indecisive flickering between different logos and titles adds to the sense of chaos emanating from WBD—luckily for viewers, there’s still an incredible streaming library on HBO Max (even without classic Looney Tunes).
Perhaps WBD will eventually go full circle, drop the “Max” and return to calling it HBO.
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