There was HBO Go. Then there was HBO Now. Then there was HBO Max. Then there was Max. But now, the streaming platform will become… HBO Max. Wait, what?

“With the course we are on and strong momentum we are enjoying, we believe HBO Max far better represents our current consumer proposition,” Casey Bloys, chairman and CEO of HBO and Max Content, said at Warner Bros. Discovery’s annual upfront on Wednesday. “And it clearly states our implicit promise to deliver content that is recognized as unique and, to steal a line we always said at HBO, worth paying for.”

Yeah, we know! That’s why it was called HBO Max in 2020!

The rebranding vortex that has plagued WBD’s streaming home has made figuring what is or isn’t an HBO original a chore for the last few years. Despite pivoting to the Max name in 2023, HBO remained a brand within the streaming service alongside Discovery Channel, Adult Swim, and Warner Bros. Pictures programming. Clearly the HBO name was valuable; though Max had its own original content push, major tentpole shows like The Penguin, which started in development for the streaming service, were eventually adopted as HBO originals to imbue them with a certain amount of prestige (though they still premiered on Max).

Reverting back to HBO Max may not lead to as much confusion as it seems, since anyone who subscribes likely knows that Max was once called HBO Max and the platform is home to all their favorite HBO shows. But now instead of asking for your partner to turn on HBO Max to watch The Righteous Gemstones and them having to tell you, “Actually, it’s called Max,“ you will no longer have to feel embarrassment. That’s great news!

Max will rebrand as HBO Max this summer. So savor the pure Max while you still can.

They are not the same thing

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