HBO Keeps Rebranding Viewers Have to Get Used to Another Name Change

People are questioning why HBO keeps rebranding and converting the name of its streaming carrier. Details forward on the rationale behind the verdict.

Remember the nice previous days when HBO was once simply, smartly, HBO? Some folks do — and this was once before streaming products and services dominated our TV observing conduct.

Then, HBO changed its name, and changed its name again, and again. As of Wednesday, May 23, 2023, HBO has rebranded itself for a fourth time.

So what's with the entire rebranding? And can we die-hard HBO viewers ever get used to calling the service Max? Read on for the overall scoop on why HBO Max is now simply Max after being known as quite a few other things in between.

So, why does HBO keep rebranding?

Getting used to a brand new name for HBO (Home Box Office) upon the channel launching its streaming service used to be OK for many folks. In 2010, when internet streaming become a thing, HBO become HBO Go.

Then, after a short lived length when the service was referred to as HBO Now, it changed into HBO Max.

But now, HBO has dropped the "HBO." And we're meant to call the streaming carrier merely Max. Why?

Well, in line with The Wrap, "the HBO name turns off many potential subscribers." But, um, why? That's a query numerous us are asking in our personal houses, and publicly, with the Los Angeles Times saying dropping the HBO amounts to “hollowing out an iconic American studio."

As Twitter detractors opine in droves about the rebranding, it's not exactly being whispered that this most recent makeover seems like a major fail on the part of HBO.

Consider that the impetus for the name change to Max is HBO's merger with Discovery+, which many viewers see as having a much more down-market feel than HBO — not that we don't absolutely insist on watching content on Discovery+!

But can anyone argue that House of Dragon has a very different feel than, say, MILF Manor?

Again, we'll be tuning in for both programs. It's just, as the L.A. Times puts it, the rebranding that resulted from the merger will mean that the feel of Max will be a "culture shock" — the biggest hurdle may be calling the service by its new name.

HBO will be sorely missed by many.

And so, it seems we'll be saying goodbye to HBO — at least for now. Who knows if another rebranding will take place in the future. But in the meantime, TV fans aren't fans of HBO going the way of the VCR and DVD players.

No matter what subscribers are saying, it seems that the powers that be are doubling down on the hope that we'll get used to Max. As parent company Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav said in April 2023 about the rebranding, “Max is the one to watch.” And a slogan was born.

JB Perrette, the president and CEO WBD, did acknowledge, “We all love HBO, and it’s a brand that has been built over five decades” to stand for “edgy, groundbreaking entertainment for adults.”

Then he puzzlingly added, "But it’s no longer exactly the place folks would most eagerly drop off their youngsters."

Apparently, in addition to being a supposedly awesome name for a streaming service, Max may be a trustworthy babysitter.

ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7pbXSramam6Ses7p6wqikaKhfrLW6ecOonKxlmJe8brfEnqdmqpWXv6K6w6KloA%3D%3D

 Share!

• Share on Facebook
   
• Tweet
   
• Share on Google+
   
• Post to Tumblr
   
• Pin it
   
• Submit to Reddit