WBD Goes To The Max

Warner Bros. Discovery Inc. is renaming its streaming service Max, dropping HBO from the brand and bolstering its programming lineup in a bid to attract more subscribers.

Bloomberg reports the company unveiled the name at a press event in Burbank, California, Wednesday, where Chief Executive Officer David Zaslav and his team announced details including a new Harry Potter series and fresh features from DC Comics. Prices will range from $16 to $20 a month without advertising and $10 a month with ads, mostly in line with the current service.

“We can compete with the biggest players in the space,” said JB Perrette, head of the company’s streaming business.

JB Perrette

Zaslav merged his former company, reality TV programmer Discovery Communications, with the parent of the century-old Warner Bros. studios last year to compete with Netflix Inc. and Walt Disney Co., the world’s largest entertainment companies. They have more than twice as many streaming customers as Warner Bros., which had 96 million subscribers at the end of 2022.

While HBO remains the gold standard for producing critically acclaimed TV, Zaslav believes a portion of the country won’t pay for the service because it’s associated with high prices and coastal elites. HBO won the most Emmy Awards of any network last year and has already delivered two hit shows this year in The Last of Us and the latest season of Succession.

A new brand name and the addition of a deep library of unscripted programming, like Naked and Afraid from Warner Bros.’ Discovery Channel, could speak to viewers who don’t currently pay for HBO. It could also keep them using the app more, which appeals to advertisers.

HBO Max accounts for less than 1.5% of TV viewing in the US, according to the research firm Nielsen, drawing about as well as Peacock and Tubi, two rival services. Netflix attracts more than five times the audience each month, while Hulu and Amazon Prime Video do twice as well.