Max streaming service is reviving the HBO name — the one it discarded two years ago

I know you’re all shocked, but the good news is I have a drawer full of stationery from the last time around,

joked Casey Bloys, the CEO of HBO and Max content

What is dead may never die.”

The streamer had some fun announcing its “new-ish name” on social media, posting

We will continue to focus on what makes us unique – not everything for everyone in a household, but something distinct and great for adults and families. It's really not subjective, not even controversial – our programming just hits different."

Discovery, said

With the course we are on and strong momentum we are enjoying, we believe HBO Max far better represents our current consumer proposition. And it clearly states our implicit promise to deliver content that is recognized as unique and, to steal a line we always said at HBO, worth paying for,

said Casey Bloys, chairman and CEO of HBO and Max content, in a statement

We all know this industry is cluttered. Streaming has become a lot like fast fashion,

Max chief marketing officer Shauna Spenley said on Wednesday

No consumer today is saying they want more content, but most consumers are saying they want better content."

In a press release about the Max name change, HBO's parent company said

The powerful growth we have seen in our global streaming service is built around the quality of our programming. Today, we are bringing back HBO, the brand that represents the highest quality in media, to further accelerate that growth in the years ahead,

said David Zaslav, President and CEO of Warner Bros

Returning the HBO brand into HBO Max will further drive the service forward and amplify the uniqueness that subscribers can expect from the offering. It is also a testament to WBD’s willingness to keep boldly iterating its strategy and approach — leaning heavily on consumer data and insights — to best position itself for success,

the company said Wednesday in a statement

I would have never guessed HBO would have gone away. They put all that effort into one thing that they can tell the consumer - it should be HBO,

he said in an interview with Variety earlier this year

We started listening to consumers saying, ‘Hey, we don’t really want more content, we want something that is different, we want to end the death scroll with something that is better,

JB Perrette, the president of streaming for Warner Bros

It really is a reaction to being in the marketplace for two years, evaluating what’s working and really leaning into that,

Casey Bloys, the chairman of HBO content, said in an interview

That said, ... I do hope this is the last time we have a conversation about the naming of the service.”

he continued