HBO Max Returns: Warner Bros. Discovery Rebrands Max Back to Its Prestige Roots
Casey Bloys, Chairman and CEO, HBO and Max Content speaks onstage during Warner Bros. Discovery’s 2025 Upfront Presentation
Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for Warner Bros. Discovery
In an industry twist that feels both inevitable and absurdly cyclical, Max is no more—long live HBO Max.
Starting July 9, Warner Bros. Discovery will officially rebrand its streaming platform Max back to HBO Max, reinstating the name it retired just over a year ago. The reversal was first teased at WBD’s 2025 upfronts this past May, where HBO and Max Content CEO Casey Bloys took the stage with a knowing smirk and a jab at the déjà vu. “I know you’re all shocked, but the good news is I have a drawer full of stationery from the last time around,” he quipped to advertisers.
But the move is more than corporate comedy. It reflects a deep strategic recalibration at Warner Bros. Discovery, one that prioritizes quality over quantity, brand equity over breadth. “No consumer today is saying they want more content,” the company said in a statement. “They want better content.” And few brands in entertainment signify “better” quite like HBO.
The rebrand signals a retreat from the streamer’s 2023 push to broaden appeal with reality TV, kid-friendly fare, and a wide-sweeping rebrand to “Max,” which ditched the HBO label entirely. That pivot, intended to challenge Netflix and Disney+ on volume, may have diluted the prestige HBO built over 50 years. Now, WBD is embracing what makes HBO unique: high-quality, auteur-driven television that defines the cultural conversation.
Importantly, this rebrand is a frictionless flip of the switch. Unlike the original change from HBO Max to Max, which forced users to download new apps and re-log into accounts, this shift will be seamless. The Max app on all devices will simply update with the new HBO Max branding—complete with a sleek black-and-white logo that recalls the platform’s roots.
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And while July is light on blockbuster debuts—beyond the recent Warner Bros. film Sinners and the upcoming Billy Joel: And So It Goes concert special—the timing of the rebrand is strategic. Emmy voting opens in just a few weeks, and HBO continues to be an award season juggernaut. Flagship titles like The White Lotus are poised for a fresh round of nominations, and the return to the HBO name may help sharpen the brand’s perception with both voters and subscribers.
Globally, the company is also scaling up its ambitions, launching HBO Max in 12 new international markets this month. All of this comes amid broader restructuring: Warner Bros. Discovery will split into two companies in 2026. HBO Max will sit under David Zaslav’s wing, alongside Warner Bros. film and TV studios, while linear TV assets are spun off into a new entity led by Gunnar Weidenfels.
The resurrection of HBO Max doesn’t just feel like a return to form—it’s a tacit admission that prestige, not platform sprawl, is the company’s strongest hand. And for those who feared that HBO’s legacy would be lost in the race for mass-market dominance, this course correction is a welcome reminder: the home of The Sopranos, Succession, and Euphoriastill knows where its power lies.
