Summary

• Several top shows like Harry Potter will now be on HBO, not Max.
• The move shows Warner Bros. realizes Max brand has no recognition.
• Rebranding was a disaster, as HBO has a strong history of high-quality TV.

Warner Bros. has made a major decision around several shows that were initially supposed to air on its Max streaming service, and in doing so has revealed an uncomfortable truth about the platform's much-publicized rebrand from HBO. Per an announcement by HBO and Max content CEO Casey Bloys, the decision impacts both Warner Bros. much-vaunted Harry Potter series and the It prequel Welcome To Derry. While ordinarily news about programs at least a year away might slip under the radar, the details of the new announcement raise a particular red flag about the future of Max.

The decision to rebrand HBO's streaming service as Max was extremely controversial from the outset. On some level, the change made sense. According to JB Perrette, president and CEO of Warner Bros. Discovery’s global streaming and games, "We want [Max] to be welcoming to all and easily recognizable, including to a key customer segment, kids and families,” with the major concern being than HBO is too adult oriented (via The Verge). However, the company's latest decision not only demonstrates the flaws in this logic, but reveals a bigger truth about branding in the entertainment industry.

Several Shows (Including Harry Potter & Welcome to Derry) Will Now Be On HBO

They Will Not Be Associated With Max

Despite the emphasis on rebranding HBO content, the decision has now been made to release flagship 2025 shows under the HBO banner, rather than associating them with Max. The change affects Harry Potter and Welcome To Derry, but also future shows that would come under the DC umbrella, marking a radical about-face for the service. In an extended statement, Bloys explained:

"We felt like we had to delineate between an HBO show and a Max show. The idea of using Warner Bros. IP as a delineation for Max felt right. At least that gives you a clear lane. But as we started producing those shows, we were using the same methods, the same kind of thinking, as how we would approach HBO shows. In a lot of cases, the same talent that has worked on HBO shows.

"What we ended up with is shows at this scope and scale that look great, and great narratives and talent we’ve worked with. The idea of the delineation kind of started to feel unnecessary. Like, why are we doing this? Let’s just call them what they are: HBO shows.

"For a show that feels big and cinematic, they already are going to make the assumption that it feels like an HBO show. This is just leaning into that."

Bloys' explanation makes a degree of sense. Considering the number of brands Warner Bros.' is juggling, as well as the investment represented by these high-profile series, due care must be given to reaching the right approach. However, even taking this generous interpretation of events at face value, the decision around Max and HBO content is a damning indictment of Warner Bros. previous strategy.

The Move Shows WB Realizes The Max Brand Has No Name Recognition

The Planned Rebrand Clearly Has Not Worked

The fact that Warner Bros. most prominent small-screen releases will fall under the HBO umbrella instead of Max confirms what many fans had long suspected – that the decision to move away from HBO's original branding has been a disaster. Thanks to a carefully cultivated image, built up over years of high-quality TV entertainment, HBO was perhaps the most recognizable producer of television. Shows like Game of Thrones not only rank among the most popular programs ever made, but established HBO as a by-word for quality.

Sidelining HBO with the initial HBO Max rebrand...undid decades of careful image cultivation at a stroke – replacing it with something to which audiences had no connection and no loyalty.

By contrast, "Max" as a brand name had earned no such reputation. Sidelining HBO with the initial HBO Max rebrand, before removing it entirely when the service became exclusively Max undid decades of careful image cultivation at a stroke – replacing it with something to which audiences had no connection and no loyalty. For a long time, this situation had been assumed by HBO aficionados who couldn't understand the change. Now, with the revelation that multiple shows are reintroducing the HBO branding, the consequences of the decision have been confirmed.

The Move Also Helps Fill HBO's Original Content Library

It's A Return To The Status Quo

A major consequence of the HBO/Max rebrand was that HBO's pipeline of content had begun to dry up. With Warner Bros. understandably keen to establish Max's burgeoning reputation, releases were emblazoned with Max branding, rather than continuing under the HBO label. Shows such as Dune: Prophecy, for instance, which previously would have been considered prime candidates for HBO, instead became exclusively associated with Max, leaving HBO to stake its reputation on older classic series.

The fact that Harry Potter and Welcome To Derry will be categorized as HBO Originals gives the HBO brand some new material to grow with. Even with some of the best TV shows ever made as part of its back catalog, HBO can still benefit from new content to rejuvenate its library. Though the association with HBO will undoubtedly benefit the shows, there's a reciprocity to the relationship that can also help the brand re-establish itself as an industry leader after the Max era.

Source: The Verge