Max who? HBO social teams steal the show in rebrand mess

Last week, Warner Bros. Discovery unveiled that it would rebrand its streaming platform to HBO Max. According to a statement seen by MARKETING-INTERACTIVE, returning the HBO brand into HBO Max will "further drive the service forward and amplify the uniqueness that subscribers can expect from the offering." 

"It is also a testament to Warner Bros. Discovery’s willingness to keep boldly iterating its strategy and approach – leaning heavily on consumer data and insights – to best position itself for success," said the statement. Similarly, David Zaslav, president and CEO of Warner Bros. Discovery, said the entertainment giant is bringing back HBO to further accelerate growth in the years ahead.

Providing further details on the upcoming change, JB Perrette, president and CEO of streaming said that the platform will focus on what makes it unique. "Not everything for everyone in a household, but something distinct and great for adults and families. It’s really not subjective, not even controversial – our programming just hits different," said Perrette.

Don't miss: Have you seen Max's massive immersive campaign?

“With the course we are on and strong momentum we are enjoying, we believe HBO Max far better represents our current consumer proposition. And it clearly states our implicit promise to deliver content that is recognized as unique and, to steal a line we always said at HBO, worth paying for," added Casey Bloys, chairman and CEO of HBO and Max content. 

The rebrand caused a stir online, with social media users mocking the company with memes. Some users had compared the move to when Elon Musk rebranded 'Twitter' to 'X' while others claimed to be horrified by the amount of money, time and effort that had gone into the rebranding, reported Forbes. 

Interestingly, social media users are not the only ones mocking the re-brand with as much gusto as HBO's social media team.

Following the influx of mockery, the brand has joined in the fun by posting self-deprecating memes featuring some of its popular titles and franchises. One meme by HBO on X featured a timeline of the rebrands and Maddy Perez, a character from the platform's Euphoria series where she is quoted "B****, you better be joking." 

The @StreamOnMax account on X, on the other hand, posted a brief video with no captions. The video features the Max logo on a card before the card flips to feature an Uno reverse card. The Uno reverse card then flips to unveil HBO Max's logo. 

@StreamOnMax also changed its X profile biography to "These rebrands are trying to murder me" - a nod to White Lotus season 2. 

On Instagram, @StreamOnMaxSG posted a picture of Cassie Howard from Euphoria where the character cried out "I have never, ever been happier" in response to a social media comment which read "Checking in with your branding and marketing teams to see if they're doing okay." The accompanying caption by @StreamOnMaxSG said "Send help". 

The social team has also used the rebrand to spark interest in completed series and franchises. @HBOMax on Instagram used a clip from Game of Thrones where Kit Harrington's Jon Snow is seen coming back to life, with the caption "What is dead may never die. HBO Max coming this summer. Same app, new-ish name." Users in the comments were then seen asking for a new season of the now-completed show, as well as a sequel focused on Snow himself.

The @GameofThrones account on X also jumped on the opportunity and posted a photo of fan-favourite Daenerys Targaryen walking out from fire unscathed, with the HBO Max logo in place of her body. The accompanying caption read "A name reclaimed."

In recent years, the platform had rebranded four times from HBO Go, to HBO Now, then HBO Max, Max and finally HBO Max.

The Max rebrand was first unveiled in 2023 as a streaming destination for HBO with a dedicated homepage experience along with Max Originals, Warner Bros. films, the DC universe, the Wizarding World of Harry Potter and unscripted programming across food, home, reality, lifestyle and more. According to an earnings report seen by MARKETING-INTERACTIVE in August 2023, the company lost 1.8 million subscribers within a span of three months across all of its services including Max.

In December last year, Max launched a region wide campaign to celebrate its launch in APAC including Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand, Hong Kong and Taiwan. The campaign saw the brand taking over prominent landmarks in each market, numerous OOH placements and even flew down actors James and Oliver Phelps to the Philippines for a Harry Potter Christmas tree light up event, followed by a fireworks show. 

Most recently in March 2025, Max made its way to Australian shores. Announcing the launch in Australia, Perrette said the Max brand may be new to Australians, but the programming engines at the heart of it are already loved by audiences.

"The launch of Max in Australia continues our exciting global expansion. Now for the first time, these brands come together alongside additional premium content from Warner Bros. Discovery's portfolio, to offer a distinct streaming proposition for local fans," said Perrette at the time. 

To ramp up its Max streaming launch in Australia, Warner Bros. Discovery also partnered with Foxtel and appointed independent creative agency Special to lead the brand rollout. As part of the partnership deal, the Max app will also integrate into Hubbl, Foxtel’s streaming aggregation platform.

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