Max rebrands to HBO Max in Australia today
Warner Bros Discovery’s rebranding of its Max streaming service to HBO Max will take effect from today, a local representative has confirmed to Mumbrella.
The name change was first announced at the company’s US upfront in May, as part of a strategy to highlight its premium HBO offering.
The service was rebranded from HBO Max to Max in 2023, in order to showcase a broader, more family-friendly offering than traditionally associated with HBO. It never appeared in the Australian market under that name, launching locally on March 31, as ‘Max’ – with a catalogue featuring programming from HBO, Warner Bros, the DC Universe, Harry Potter, Discovery, and Cartoon Network.
WBD president and CEO David Zaslav called HBO “the brand that represents the highest quality in media”, saying the rebadging was “to further accelerate that growth in the years ahead.”
“This evolution has been influenced by changing consumer needs, and the fact that no consumer today is saying they want more content, but most consumers are saying they want better content,” the company said in May, in a statement announcing the change.
HBO Max said: “With other services filling the more basic needs with volume, WBD has clearly distinguished itself through its quality and distinct stories, and no brand has done that better and more consistently over 50-plus years than HBO.”
Locally, the rebranding removes a potential headache for Foxtel. The company recently relaunched its Max music service, and also offers WBD’s Max streaming service as part of its subscription package.
Ahead of Max’s Australian launch, Michael Brooks, general manager for Warner Bros Discovery Australia, told Mumbrella that HBO’s deep library sets its streaming service apart from the many contenders in the market.
“The work that the HBO team do globally is incredible, and their hit rate is second to none,” he said.
“So, I think we have a service that Australian consumers can absolutely rely on delivering consistent, great content.
“Content really dictates the success. I think the platforms that consistently please their fans by delivering and putting excellence forward will continue to thrive above others. I think what’s going to be interesting is the battle for third-party content, for some of the services. Where do they get the content from?
“That’s obviously what we’re reasonably confident about … we’ve got a great consistent flow of top quality premium content.”
The HBO Max rebranding will appear on the Australian app today.
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I’ve been hearing this was coming. I wonder who got fired over this schmozzle.
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