In May 2023, Warner Bros. Discovery attempted to consolidate content under one name: Max. The intent was to merge HBO’s critically acclaimed content with Discovery’s lifestyle and reality offerings. However, the company underestimated the symbolic weight “HBO” carried in aiming for broad appeal. Viewers associate HBO with content, seeing it as a promise of quality. Stripping the name broke that unspoken contract.
By early 2025, signals that something was shifting began to emerge. In March, a monochrome redesign of the Max logo hinted at a re-centering of tone and aesthetic. Internally, underwhelming engagement with lifestyle programming—particularly outside the U.S.—forced leadership to confront a hard truth: the all-in-one “Max” approach failed to deliver.
Back to the Core
David Zaslav, Warner Bros. Discovery’s CEO, framed the rebrand as a realignment with what subscribers value most. “Returning the HBO brand to our platform,” he said during the May 14 Upfront presentation, “will further drive the service forward and amplify the uniqueness subscribers can expect.” The service currently serves approximately 122 million global subscribers, aiming to reach 150 million by the end of 2026 (Axios, The Guardian, May 2025). The move is not just cosmetic—it’s strategic.
Data from the past two years revealed that subscribers still gravitated toward HBO originals despite expanding content. Meanwhile, Discovery content did not produce the expected stickiness. In trying to be everything to everyone, Max lost the edge that made it compelling. Going back to HBO Max is, at its core, a return to specialization—and to trust.
Owning the Narrative with Humor
Critics were quick to mock the whiplash branding. Memes circulated, and tweets questioned the logic. But HBO leaned in rather than retreated. The brand’s social team riffed on the absurdity, quoting characters from Veep, Friends, and Succession and making light of the rebranding carousel. This self-aware, tongue-in-cheek approach neutralized much of the backlash, earning unexpected goodwill.
This wasn’t just damage control; it was tactical. More importantly, it underscored a growing reality in marketing: when you lose control of the narrative, authenticity—not perfection—is the only way to win it back.
Lessons in Brand Strategy
This saga offers broader takeaways for marketers navigating brand evolution. First, brand equity isn’t transferable by osmosis. HBO’s cachet didn’t survive under a broader “Max” umbrella; it needed the name to carry the weight. Second, streaming audiences aren’t homogeneous; they self-select, especially in an era of fractured attention and niche fandoms. A brand like HBO, tied to dramatic storytelling, cannot sit comfortably beside reality cooking shows without confusion.
Third, tone matters during change. Rather than burying the past, HBO Max’s team brought humor into the transition, signaling transparency and humility—two brand traits that matter more than ever in a post-brand-loyalty era.
The Competitive Context
In contrast to HBO Max’s branding missteps, Netflix has enjoyed name consistency since its inception. It’s one reason the platform remains synonymous with streaming. Disney+, launched in 2019, similarly has maintained a clear, character-driven brand, reinforcing segmentation through hubs like Marvel and Pixar without renaming the parent platform.
Paramount+, by comparison, stumbled with its recent “Paramount+ with Showtime” integration, creating more confusion than synergy. Meanwhile, MGM+, formerly Epix, completed a rebrand with much less fanfare but stayed within its classic film identity lane.
The pattern is clear: in streaming, clarity trumps breadth. A clean, differentiated identity builds trust, while blurred branding opens the door to churn.
Global Implications and Rollout Strategy
While the U.S. rollout of HBO Max is confirmed for this summer, the transition in international markets will extend through late 2025. Latin America and parts of Europe only began receiving the Max brand in mid-2024, which adds complexity to the rebrand timeline. However, the global plan reinforces a unified identity, which is critical if HBO Max wants to compete with the international scalability of Netflix or Disney.
Why This Matters for Marketers
High-profile brand changes should serve as flashing billboards for CMOs and brand strategists. The HBO Max case highlights the danger of deprioritizing what your brand is known for in pursuit of scale. It also showcases how consumer behavior, not internal ambition, must dictate brand structure.
When that signal is removed, even temporarily, customer trust falters.
In today’s marketing climate, agility and institutional memory are virtues. The brands that thrive are the ones that evolve with precision, not just speed.
