By now, you may have heard that the two major TV streaming services operated by Warner Bros. Discovery (HBO Max and Discovery+) will be teaming up soon. Thanks to a new CNBC report, we now have a good idea of what the new combo service will be called.
The historically accurate financial publication quoted sources familiar with the matter as saying Warner Bros. Discovery checks the name “Max”that company executives have chosen for the service.
It notes that the name is still subject to change, but Max is a “likely choice”and that the boots are on proverbial ground trying to make it happen. Until now, company executives internally referred to the new service with the temporary code name “BEAM”.
For centuries, the name of the cable channel HBO has been associated with premium shows and films that are markedly different from most other content on television.
But as streaming technology has gained traction, there has been confusion over exactly what the difference is between the two cable network HBO streaming services: HBO Go and HBO Now. (Go required customers to subscribe through a traditional cable provider, while Now was an all-digital service that did not require a cable subscription.)
Then came HBO Max, which combined HBO content with the shows and films of some (but not all) other conglomerate-owned properties such as DC Comics, Cartoon Network, Warner Bros. and so on.
While HBO Max likely benefited from HBO’s prestigious brand recognition, company executives reportedly feared the name’s seal would be loosened as it now covered a wider range of content.
With more content coming under the umbrella of the streaming service due to the upcoming Discovery+ merger, the name change to Max will allow HBO to maintain its unique identity while retaining some of the HBO Max name to (perhaps) not confuse existing customers..
In other words: it was all a bit of a mess that got more and more confusing every day, and Warner Bros. Discovery uses service merging as an opportunity to more or less hit the reset button on the whole case.
When Max launches, it will add a library of Discovery+ content from networks such as Discovery Channel, Animal Planet, TLC, HGTV, Food Network, CNN, and A&E (among others) to what we’ve already seen in HBO Max, making for one of the most trusted libraries of original content on any streaming service.
The interface of the new service will be divided into clear sections depending on the brand. It’s like Disney+ drawing lines between shows and movies from the Marvel, Star Wars, Disney, and National Geographic brands, among others.
Max (if that is indeed his name) is scheduled to launch in Spring 2023. Its pricing has not been announced, but HBO Max and Discovery+ are $14.99 and $6.99 per month for their ad-free tiers.