Streaming service ‘Max’ changes name back to ‘HBO Max’
In early 2023, HBO Max changed their name to Max. Now, to the confusion of screen addicts worldwide, they’re changing it back to HBO Max.
The name change was revealed thirty minutes into an upfront presentation in New York at Madison Square Garden on May 14th, 2025. The news was met with laughter, light applause and even a whistle from those in the room. The joke wasn’t lost on the executives, with the CEO of HBO and Max Content Bloys stating: “I know you’re all shocked, but the good news is I have a drawer full of stationery from the last time around.”
“The powerful growth we have seen in our global streaming service is built around the quality of our programming,” WBD president and CEO David Zaslav said in a statement. “Today, we are bringing back HBO, the brand that represents the highest quality in media, to further accelerate that growth in the years ahead.”
Bloys added: “With the course we are on and strong momentum we are enjoying, we believe HBO Max far better represents our current consumer proposition. And it clearly states our implicit promise to deliver content that is recognised as unique and, to steal a line we always said at HBO, worth paying for.”
The jokes continued, as Warner’s press packet for the announcement included a meme from Friends, with Ross famously declaring, “We were on a break!”
HBO Max have stressed that they are attempting a “less is more” approach to streaming with renewed fervour. “The idea is it’s not how much, it’s how good is something we’ve identified,” Zaslav said. “We’re not going to flood the zone. We want to be telling the best stories, and we want to also be taking advantage of all the great quality content over the years.”
In comparison, when Zaslav announced the name change to Max in 2023, he detailed an oppositional approach. He said, “By increasing the amount of content we have on the platform – content for kids, content for families, nonfiction content, food, home, the biggest motion picture and TV library – by putting that whole bouquet of content, we think the broadest array of content available, that the churn will come down.”
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