HBO Max Is Back—Because Max Just Wasn’t It

It’s official: Warner Bros. has hit undo on one of the most baffling branding decisions in recent streaming history. After quietly admitting defeat in May, the media giant has now rolled out the return of the HBO Max name. The switch is already live across its website and apps—so if you blinked, you might’ve missed it. Max is no more. Long live HBO Max. Again.

The rebrand (or re-un-brand?) has gone fully live as of today. Max.com now redirects to hbomax.com, while both the Apple App Store and Google Play Store have updated their listings. The App Store update comes with a cheeky patch note:
“Same app. New-ish name. The plot twist everyone has been waiting for: Max is now HBO Max.”

At least they’re owning it.

Unlike last year’s chaotic rollout of Max, this switch doesn’t require subscribers to re-download the app. The update is automatic, branding flips and all. It’s as painless as these things get—though it probably leaves users wondering what the point of the whole Max era even was.

Let’s rewind. HBO Max launched in 2020 as an effort to clean up the mess of HBO’s multiple streaming services and bring all of Warner Bros.’ entertainment muscle into one place. For a moment, it made sense. Then came 2023, and with it, Max—a name so generic it sounded like a random dude you went to high school with. Industry watchers and everyday users alike dunked on the change, which now sits in the corporate hall of fame for bad decisions, right next to New Coke.

What followed was a corporate shuffle worthy of a prestige drama. Warner Bros. merged with Discovery, only to announce plans to spin off again—this time splitting the business into two distinct groups. One will house HBO and the broader film and TV studios, while the other will take CNN, Discovery Plus, and the sports and news operations into a separate entity.

Where does that leave the streaming app formerly known as Max? Back in familiar territory. The name HBO Max carries decades of prestige—no need to reinvent the wheel when it already has Emmys.

Turns out, sometimes the plot twist you’ve been waiting for is just a return to what worked all along.