Warner Bros. Discovery executives are reinstating the name HBO Max for the popular streaming service. It’s the fourth name change for the app in the last decade.

After two years as Max, HBO Max is once again becoming... HBO Max. It joins a long line of brand reversals that demonstrate the power of established brand equity

That said, when HBO decided to change the name of its streaming service in 2023 from a household brand to something I’ve never heard anyone say out loud, the world immediately let them know that they had f***** up.

From 'The Last of Us' to 'The Young Pope' and Conan O'Brien's travel series, explore the best HBO and Max shows to watch in May 2025

A little more than two years after lopping “HBO” off of the streamer’s name to create the breezily-named Max streamer, Warner Bros. Discovery has decided to reverse course. Max — the unloved mononymous identity, too cool or too anxious to acknowledge its origins — is HBO Max once more .