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A department somewhere within HBO has far too much money allocated...
Can't find the article, but it seems they hired an marketing consultant firm (and paid tens of millions) that recommended they rebrand to Max. Then paid that firm again that recommended they switch back.
 
Can't find the article, but it seems they hired a marketing consultant firm (and paid tens of millions) that recommended they rebrand to Max. Then paid that firm again that recommended they switch back.
Sounds like the real businessmen work at the consulting firm. 😂
 
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Amazing how much money executives get paid to make stupid back and forth decisions that everyone obviously knew was a series of bad decisions. Nobody gives a crap about "Max" or understands what it means, but HBO everyone knows.
 
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The truly sad part is, a group of complete dunskis made tens of millions off of this moronic idea. It has always been HBO to me, and it will always be HBO.
 
A department somewhere within HBO has far too much money allocated...
All of these moves have been recommendation from the same consultation company (McKinsey):

2022: Advise Warner Bros. to combine with Discovery ($55m)
2022-2025: Advise WBD to changed HBO to HBO Max, then to Max, then back to HBO Max ($37m)
2025: Advise Warner and Discovery to split brands again ($63m)
 
Because the service is a mix of WB/HBO/Discovery Network content. The overwhelming majority of the service is Discovery/TLC/HGTV/Cartoon Network shows, which really don't fit with the HBO branding and image. HBO originals are the smallest catalogue of shows on the platform.

Most people don't associate Ben10, 90 Day Fiance, and Fixer to Fabulous with HBO. The mistake wasn't changing the name to MAX, it was merging the different D+ and HBOmax platforms into one, instead of offering them separately but also as a bundle.

While all that is true, not many people equate quality and value to Discovery/TLC/HGTV/Cartoon Network. If I had a conglomeration of several brands, I would lead with the best one, and the ones associated with “My 600lb Life” and the downfall of what was great documentary content and is now garbage (Discovery) aren’t it.
 
Great, I have to clean the coffee off my screen after spitting it out reading this mind-blowing news. I'm going to need at least an hour to process this, and I may call my therapist for an after-work session. I can't believe this, they changed the name. Unbelievable.
 
All of these moves have been recommendation from the same consultation company (McKinsey):

2022: Advise Warner Bros. to combine with Discovery ($55m)
2022-2025: Advise WBD to changed HBO to HBO Max, then to Max, then back to HBO Max ($37m)
2025: Advise Warner and Discovery to split brands again ($63m)

It's not like McKinsey is the only consulting firm out there but it sure is easy money for them. Holy moly...
 
Our company spent millions with a marketing firm on a tweaked logo that debuts this Fall 🙄. It’s utterly worse in every way from the current one which is just 5 years old, but I’m just the system engineer that gets to splatter those fugly PNGs across every internal system.

I assume I’ll be changing it again, soon enough.
I'm familiar with at least one company that went bankrupt from a rebranding budget going over.

On another note, it's confusing to me why they'd make this change when it's largely non-HBO properties (and I don't know the percentage of old cable subscribers who had HBO long ago, but I told them when they said they were just going to cancel my Discovery+ in favor of Max that I would just cancel rather than pay more... plenty of documentaries on Paramount now, and then they didn't force the cancellation... I was quite happy).
 
Hear me out.

What about "HBO"?

I know. Mind blowing.
HBO Max is actually the better name. Retains the classic quality HBO branding + "Max" is strong sounding with folks already knowing this as the streaming service and not the actual TV channel from decades ago.
 
All of these moves have been recommendation from the same consultation company (McKinsey):

2022: Advise Warner Bros. to combine with Discovery ($55m)
2022-2025: Advise WBD to changed HBO to HBO Max, then to Max, then back to HBO Max ($37m)
2025: Advise Warner and Discovery to split brands again ($63m)

I'm clearly in the wrong business.
 
I never understood the change to begin with. They took one of the most recognizable acronyms around, "HBO", and just ...dropped it. Nobody is gonna recognize "max" lol
Thank David Zaslav The Discovery Channel Suit who came in thinking he could run A Movie Studio, and one of his first acts was to turn the name synonymous With GOT, The Sopranos, Chernobyl, Band of Brothers & Sex and The City and turn it into something unrecognizable!
 
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Holding thousands of dollars worth of Para and WBD stock has been frustrating, both trying to one up on each other on their incompetence. Although Para takes the cake due to old hag screwing others over. o_O
 
They should update the name to Home Box Office.

People use the service on their TV, which is sort of a box inside the home, or perhaps on a smart phone or tablet - known for having a box-like shape. A box office is the front enclosure of a theatre where you can traditionally purchase tickets for admission. What we have here is a service that provides the gateway to watching movies (ala the box office) on people's rectangular devices (also box-like, as previously demonstrated) that are frequently in their homes.

*next slide, please*

The synergy here is unmistakable!

Ok, I'll take my consulting fee now thanks 😌
 
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Because the service is a mix of WB/HBO/Discovery Network content. The overwhelming majority of the service is Discovery/TLC/HGTV/Cartoon Network shows, which really don't fit with the HBO branding and image. HBO originals are the smallest catalogue of shows on the platform.

Most people don't associate Ben10, 90 Day Fiance, and Fixer to Fabulous with HBO. The mistake wasn't changing the name to MAX, it was merging the different D+ and HBOmax platforms into one, instead of offering them separately but also as a bundle.
Well, they fixed that by removing most of the D+ stuff and now a subscription to D+ is needed. Since I was getting Max for free (AT&T), this whole escapade is a lose-lose for me.
 
All of these moves have been recommendation from the same consultation company (McKinsey):

2022: Advise Warner Bros. to combine with Discovery ($55m)
2022-2025: Advise WBD to changed HBO to HBO Max, then to Max, then back to HBO Max ($37m)
2025: Advise Warner and Discovery to split brands again ($63m)

Ugh McKinsey doing the devil's work can literally suck it. My soon to be former employer hired them for millions and I was stupid enough to prepare a whole presentation to show off while I am needed. Instead they turned around, recommended to lay me off and hired a replacement doing the same tasks
 


Warner Bros. Discovery has completed its reversal from Max back to HBO Max today, marking the end of a widely criticized two-year experiment.

hbo-max.jpg

The streaming service's website and mobile apps now display the HBO Max branding once again. Max.com redirects to hbomax.com, while both the Apple App Store and Google Play Store have updated their listings. Users won't need to download a new app, as existing installations will automatically update to show the HBO Max name.

The App Store update includes a cheeky note: "Same app. New-ish name. The plot twist everyone has been waiting for: Max is now HBO Max."

This change reverses the 2023 rebrand that dropped the HBO name in favor of the generic "Max" moniker. The original decision aimed to incorporate Discovery content following the companies' merger, but the move faced immediate backlash from subscribers and industry observers.

Warner Bros. Discovery acknowledged the misstep in May, citing consumer feedback and the strength of the HBO brand's reputation for quality content. The company said it wanted to focus on "something distinct and great" rather than trying to be "everything for everyone."

The streaming service has now cycled through HBO Go, HBO Now, HBO, HBO Max, Max, and back to HBO Max again.

Article Link: HBO Max Name Returns After Two Years as Max
I hear they're about to change it to Max HBO.
 
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