In a move aimed at reigniting global interest and boosting subscriber numbers, Warner Bros. Discovery announced Wednesday that it will rebrand its flagship streaming platform as HBO Max this summer—reviving the prestigious HBO name it dropped two years ago.
The decision marks a strategic pivot for the media giant, which had previously rebranded the service simply as Max in 2023, in an effort to merge premium HBO content with a broader lineup of Discovery programming, including lifestyle and reality shows. The change drew widespread criticism from viewers and industry observers, many of whom felt the HBO name carried significant weight and credibility.
“Today, we are bringing back HBO, the brand that represents the highest quality in media, to further accelerate growth in the years ahead,” said Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav.
The company described the reintroduction of the HBO brand as an “implicit promise” to continue delivering high-end, critically acclaimed programming. HBO remains synonymous with hit series such as Game of Thrones, The Sopranos, True Detective, and more recently, The White Lotus.
The earlier decision to remove the HBO brand surprised even competitors. Ted Sarandos, co-CEO of Netflix, remarked in a March interview with Variety: “I would have never guessed HBO would have gone away. They put all that effort into one thing that they can tell the consumer — it should be HBO.”
The streaming business has become a key growth area for Warner Bros. Discovery as its traditional cable operations face mounting losses due to cord-cutting. In the first quarter of 2025, the company added 5.3 million new subscribers, bringing its total to 122.3 million. It now aims to surpass 150 million by the end of 2026.
International expansion is central to that strategy. After launching Max in over 70 markets last year, the company plans to bring the service to the United Kingdom, Ireland, Italy, and Germany in the coming months.
The return to the HBO Max name signals Warner Bros. Discovery’s renewed confidence in the power of legacy branding, as it competes in a crowded streaming landscape where name recognition and content quality remain critical to long-term success.
