The market has spoken here, and quality is the real differentiator.” To put it more plainly: The basic assumption behind the Max branding, that viewers would flock to Discovery’s big buckets of unscripted dross over the decades of quality material in HBO and other Warner Bros.

Warner Brothers Discovery, which wiped out the name in a disastrous rebranding effort during a 2023 corporate merger, took a swipe at itself in an announcement this week. "Same app. New-ish name. The plot twist everyone's been waiting for,

Warner Bros. Discovery's rebranding of HBO Max highlights the merger's failure to reach its original goal.

We’re not quite there yet, but it sure feels imminent.

Warner Bros. Discovery is hitting rewind on Max’s branding, bringing back the HBO name it dropped from the streaming service two years ago. The company will rebrand its streaming platform as HBO Max this summer, betting that the iconic brand’s global reputation will drive subscriber growth as it expands internationally.

The internet was full of memes and jokes when it was reveled that the HBO was going back in the title of Max. Not one to be left out, co-CEO of DC Studios James Gunn got in on the fun over on his social media. He took to Threads to throw some shade, posting: