It’s Not HBO (It’s Max)

[PGage]

So I have heard different takes on this; those who are saying Zas is getting rid of HBO are, I think, clearly wrong. HBO will still exist as a premium cable channel that can also be streamed, but the name HBO will no longer be included in Warner Brothers Discovery Streaming Hub site, which is on track to being called simply “Max.” That is the sacrifice of significant brand awareness.

The fact that Discovery doesn’t want the HBO brand on its signature mothership tells us everything we need to know about WBD. Whether still deserved or not the HBO brand signifies quality programming; but WBD’s brand is cheap, mass appeal, not elite quality. They are McDonald’s, not French Laundry. And, of course, as much money as Thomas Keller makes, I’m sure it’s not a major fraction of what McDonald’s clears every year.

Still, if the French Laundry was purchased by Macdonald’s, and they forced customers to walk into a local McDonald’s to make reservations at the French Laundry, a lot of folks would be irritated.

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“The merged platform’s expected name, “Max,” is being vetted by the company’s lawyers, according to people familiar with the matter…

The app itself will share similarities with Disney+’s platform, with Warner Bros. Discovery’s brands as individual tiles, the people said. HBO, Discovery, DC Comics and Warner Bros. will be among the landing hubs on the platform, the people added.”

https://www.cnbc.com/2022/12/05/warner-bros-discovery-max-streaming-service-name.html

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[Adam Bowie]

I was convinced they'd just go with "HBO Discovery" or "Discovery HBO" - simply on the basis of brand recognition alone. 

While I'm sure someone somewhere has done some research that says that HBO is considered too premium/male/old-skewing for some consumers, I'm not sure I'd buy that. It just takes one hit show to wipe away those perceptions.

Surely you just go with the brand that has the biggest impact. "HBO" means good TV. "Discovery" means... well we sort of understand what it means. "Max" means nothing to anyone. 

Every other streaming brand has taken its strongest individual brand and built off that. CBS All Access becomes Paramount+ because more people know Paramount than CBS - particularly if you have global aspirations (there not being a bunch of CBS channels out there in the wild). Disney+ wisely trades on their most valuable asset - their near century-old brand (I'm also firmly of the belief that ABC, FX and Hulu shows can all be wrapped into a single app, just becoming tiled sub-brands within it, exactly as they're doing in the ROW). Peacock is a meaningless brand outside the US. Nobody has a clue who they are, or why it's named after a bird that was kept by wealthy aristocrats. But then NBC's global presence is largely limited to a financial business channel, because even though viewers throughout the world know NBC shows, they're not branded as such (Friends is Warners etc). 

WBD is going to have to spend sooooo much money explaining who they are to consumers when they already had two perfectly good brands that already explained that. Their rivals will be scratching their heads wondering at the madness of it all. "HBO" already has lots of value globally. Game of Thrones on its own is enough to say "We make TV you want to watch" globally - no more, no less. Throw in something like "Euphoria" and I think you're done. 

Similarly, "Discovery" is another decades old brand which instantly tells you what you need to know about its programming. Why any marketing person would want to ditch those powerful brands is beyond me. All their marketing is going to have to have to explain it all over again to consumers. I mean unless they're going to pivot entirely on what they make, and for all the cuts that WBD is making, I don't think Zaslov actually wants to do that. 

Also, I'd be amazed if they don't run into IP issues with the name "Max" all over the world because it's such a simple name, and there will be dozens of businesses in overlapping areas. There definitely will be territories where they simply can't use it - at least unless they start writing massive cheques. 

Adam

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[M-D November]

Maybe it's time to bring Michigan J. Frog out of retirement and use him as a brand ambassador?  (Although maybe make him a little less of a stereotype than the WB did back in the day...)

[Kevin M.]

Frogsploitation. 

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Kevin M. (RPCV)

[M-D November]

I never understood why the WB leaned on Michigan J. Frog and not, say, Bugs or Daffy.  Unless the studio told them certain characters were off-limits...

[Stan S]

Meanwhile, HBO still has Cinemax. It confused me that HBO Max didn’t really roll in the Cinemax brand. After all, their streaming used to be called “Max Go”. Besides the valuable channel space I wonder why the linear Cinemax channels still exist. 

So after all that money that they spend, WBD will release a “Max” app and people will wonder why they suddenly need Cinemax. 

-Stan

[Adam Bowie]

Reports now suggest that Warner Bros. Discovery is going to keep what is now called HBO Max and Discovery+ separate. 

https://deadline.com/2023/02/warner-bros-discovery-abandons-plan-to-merge-hbo-max-discovery-plus-streaming-1235253134/

Basically it seems that current Discovery+ subscribers are unlikely to pay the much higher prices that the combined app might charge. Considering that's now $16, that's quite a jump from $7 for the current ad-free version of Discovery+.

That doesn't seem to have changed plans to rebrand the service to something like "Max" (branding experts really are good aren't they? Case in point "Paramount+ with Showtime"), but I guess the higher priced tier could still include Discovery+ programming in it as well.

Over here in the UK, Discovery+ has been going around doing deals to bundle themselves with other platforms. In the last few weeks I've gained two different ways to get the app free. My TV comes via a Sky dish (these days owned by Comcast), and because I get the Entertainment package it's included there. I also subscribe to BT Sport and they recently got into bed with Discovery, so they too have offered it to me free. I duly created an account and aside from cycling, which I already had access to two other subscriptions, there really is nothing of interest on the platform. 

Adam

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[Kevin M.]

Our house probably watches Discovery more than HBO. My wife likes anything “true crime” no matter how poorly produced (and most are poorly produced), and we both like animal focused documentaries. This week we’ve been watching “The Zoo” about the behind the scenes world of the San Diego Zoo and Safari Park. 

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Kevin M. (RPCV)

[M-D November]

"It will instead continue offering the latter as a stand-alone product as it moves forward with the springtime launch of a comprehensive service featuring programming from HBO Max and Discovery+."

Read: It's still going to bring Discovery+ programming over to (HBO)Max, but Disco+ will remain as a cheaper stand-alone option for people who want 90 Day Fiancé and House Hunters but don't want John Oliver & Game of Thrones.