Soon, when you go to stream Succession or The Last of Us, you’ll no longer be looking for an app called HBO Max. As has been rumored, Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) is changing the name of the streaming service to simply “Max.” The company is folding content from Discovery+ into the platform to make it more of a one-stop shop, though Discovery+ will remain as a standalone service in the US.
There’s some logical reasoning behind shortening the name to Max. It’s now about more than HBO and nods toward a more expansive array of shows, movies and other content that’s on offer. Executives were reportedly concerned that keeping HBO in the platform’s name could weaken that brand if consumers associate it with all the content on the platform, such as the impending influx of reality shows from Discovery+.
However, the rebranding strips away the name value of HBO and the implied level of quality that has been associated with that brand for decades. Max is a bad, soulless name with zero identity of its own.
Since WBD was formed as a result of a merger between WarnerMedia and Discovery last year, the company’s leadership has overhauled its streaming strategy in a bid to cut costs and improve the bottom line. Executives swung the ax on an array of HBO Max exclusives, reportedly in favor of tax breaks. WBD also removed several shows and many episodes of popular series from HBO Max. The company has started licensing out some of its programming to other platforms to add some extra revenue streams.
Developing…
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/hbo-max-will-just-be-called-max-when-it-folds-in-discovery-171611258.html?src=rss
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