'Max' rebranding back to 'HBO Max' as WarnerBros. Discovery reverses course

(The Hill) — WarnerBros. Discovery (WBD) is rebranding its streaming service and changing its name back to the original title it used when it launched in 2020.

"Max" will be renamed "HBO Max," the company's executives said during its UpFronts presentation to advertisers this week, marking a major departure from the media behemoth's marketing strategy as it looks to retool itself around streaming and digital offerings.

The switch represents what the company argued in a press release is its "willingness to keep boldly iterating its strategy and approach – leaning heavily on consumer data and insights – to best position itself for success."

The media conglomerate — which owns CNN, DC Comics, Turner Sports, a major movie studio, and a host of other properties — said it has added 22 million subscribers globally in the last year and plans to expand its streaming offerings in the coming months.

WBD, like most major media companies, has taken billions of dollars in Wall Street losses on its linear broadcast assets in recent years and has looked to focus on direct-to-consumer content and a beefed-up digital portfolio.

The company separately announced this week it plans to relaunch a streaming news service through CNN this fall after its first salvo into streamed news was shuttered just days after launch.

“The powerful growth we have seen in our global streaming service is built around the quality of our programming," the company's chief executive, David Zaslav, said on Wednesday. "Today, we are bringing back HBO, the brand that represents the highest quality in media, to further accelerate that growth in the years ahead.”