When HBO Max changed its name to Max in 2023, many people questioned the reasoning behind the change and who had been paid a lot of money to come up with the new name. When it was announced in May 2025 that the streaming arm of Warner Bros. would be rebranding again…as HBO Max, it all became an internet meme. Now HBO Max boss Casey Bloys has revealed that Netflix is partly to blame for the “mistake” made with rebranding the platform.
While HBO has been a household name for decades, the explosion of streaming led by Netflix’s on-demand platform resulted in everyone wanting their own piece of the pie. While it seems obvious that studios want to make as much money from their own movies and shows without sharing with outside companies, the reality of having Disney+, Paramount+, Apple TV, Shudder, MGM+ and dozens more subscription streamers usually sees people switching services frequently rather than committing to all of them at once.
So why did HBO Max drop the name related to much of its quality content? Bloys explained to reporters at HBO Max’s New York offices (via THR):
“To Netflix’s credit, as the first mover, they have become a utility for consumers. In retrospect, we can all see that the streaming industry’s race for volume, years ago, found many brands losing their identity.
“[Netflix] is the basic cable of today, and in today’s world, consumers still want to add to their entertainment portfolio with must-have truly unique programming that only we can deliver. We looked at all the research and came back to what they want are HBO originals, pay-one movies, the Warner Bros. TV library, the procedurals, for lack of a better word, but the elevated network [programming] that we’re working on, documentaries, comedy specials.
“We just came back from trying to offer too much, so we are trying to be very specific in what people value from us, and want from us.”
Max Originals Are Cheaper Than HBO Originals but Still Quality
When changing the name of Max back to HBO Max, Bloys made a point of noting that one reason for the backtracking after two years was because the HBO name stood for quality, and adding that back into the mix was something that assured fans of what they would be getting when they subscribed to the platform.
However, the last two years have seen both HBO content shifting to the streaming platform and some projects being released as “Max Originals.” Explaining the difference, Bloys added:
“I can say now that Max Originals serve a very specific purpose: We are leaning into more cost-efficient, yet elevated and high quality series with a greater number of episodes that can return each year. These originals are designed to attract audiences that are adjacent to the typical HBO fans, while also feeding our strategy to deliver 52 weeks of new programming a year.”
With normality now restored, and HBO Max back in play, the reality is that nothing has really changed. The movies and shows that appear on HBO Max are exactly the same as those that appeared when it was called Max, and the same goes for the switch from HBO to Max two years ago. What’s in a name? Clearly, nothing at all. Unless you are called Netflix, of course, as no one would want to mess with that one.
