“Worth Paying For” — Here’s Why Max Is Changing Its Name Back to HBO Max

After the widespread success of Netflix's online streaming model, big movie houses decided that they wanted to get in on the action themselves. Soon, licensed intellectual properties started migrating to the respective platforms created by these big studios.

This meant that if you wanted to stream anything produced by Warner Media, then you needed to sign up for HBO Max. However, it wasn't long until the WB decided the platform would be called Max. But now, it's changed back to its original moniker, leaving a lot of subscribers wondering why.

When Warner first announced that it'd be getting into the streaming service game, it announced that HBO Max would be supplanting its HBO Now and HBO Go streaming services.

However, the platform didn't just contain HBO-related content, which included a slew of popular series that have captivated fans for decades.

Shows like The Wire, Rome, True Detective, The Sopranos, Oz, Game of Thrones, and Succession were available to stream on demand. However, you could also catch Cartoon Network originals like Regular Show and Adventure Time on the application.

Furthermore, since Warner owns DC, there was a ton of superhero-themed content inspired by the legendary comic book house that viewers tuned into watch on the platform. Which created a bit of a branding conundrum for leadership.

Growing up in the era of cable and beyond, HBO series were marked by high production quality and more adult themes. Showrunners had more latitude to swear and cover a range of topics, which permeated many of their popular shows, such as Larry David's Curb Your Enthusiasm.

Back when Warner changed HBO Max's name just to "Max," there was concern that perhaps including the acronym in the streaming service's title could potentially put off some potential subscribers. After all, HBO is known to put up some particularly "steamy" content, so Teen Titans probably isn't the first thing that comes to people's minds when they see their kid firing up the app to watch something.

It's this thought process that ultimately inspired upper management to drop the "HBO" from HBO Max. However, it seems that Warner brass is now betting on HBO's perception as producing tier-one TV shows as a means of retaining and drawing in more subscribers.

Warner Bros. CEO David Zaslav, as per The Hollywood Reporter, stated that the company's "growth ... is built around the quality of our programming. Today, we are bringing back HBO, the brand that represents the highest quality in media."

It's a move the Warner head states will "further accelerate that growth in the years ahead."

It's an interesting strategy and one that could ultimately pay off. Spaced out 10-episode orders of select series with weekly new release schedules could keep subscribers plugged into HBO Max's service and, in turn, boost profits for WB.