When it comes to content, HBO Max is in a very solid place right now.
It’s the home of one of the biggest shows on TV right now, The Last of Us , which was the network’s second-most watched series premiere in over ten years. It has more to come too, with the imminent return of the critically acclaimed Succession for its fourth season.
Both series are in line with what HBO is known for: high-quality drama with bulky budgets, just as we’ve seen with Game of Thrones, The Sopranos, and The Wire.
However, behind the screen the platform is currently going through a crisis sparked by the long-anticipated merger with Discovery+, and a confusing rebranding process that could put an end to its good fortune.
Warner Bros. Discovery
The Wall Street Journal reports that, in contrast to earlier expectations, whilst most Discovery+ content will be available on HBO Max when the merger completes, the standalone streaming service Discovery+ will remain.
HBO Max , meanwhile, costs $9.99 per month for ad-supported streaming and $15.99 per month for ad-free – significantly more than Discovery+.
The company also clearly sees the two services as having different audiences, as revealed by this briefing slide with a bizarre understanding of its target demographics for HBO Max and Discovery+:
Warner Bros. Discovery
There’s a lot to unpack here. How does one ‘lean in’ or ‘lean back’ into a series? Why is Warner separating its two streaming services into the blue and pink aisles? And most of all, what the hell is a ‘Genredom’?
Complicating things further, HBO Max has been rumoured to be getting a re-brand. The new name that’s been rumoured is simply ‘Max’, dropping HBO out of the equation altogether. That’s right, the days of “It’s Not TV, It’s HBO” may be over.
Casey Bloys, Chairman & CEO of HBO Max, spoke to Parrot Analytics and claimed that the HBO name could be dropped from the new streaming service because of the connotations of it not being family friendly enough, something that is apparently a priority for Warner:
That’s all well and good… until you remember that only last year, Warner made devastating cuts across the board to animation projects, with children’s shows being the largest casualty.
This could potentially be a huge misstep. For one, the brand HBO carries a strong identity for audiences. You know what type of quality to expect from it, and the most popular recent shows have kept within the traditional HBO parameters.
Seeking Alpha argues that one of the biggest factors in the decision to drop the HBO name is to appeal to audiences outside of the US, which does make sense. HBO certainly doesn’t have the same brand recognition in several countries, the UK included.
If the streaming service truly wants to move away from its HBO roots, then it could easily have broader appeal by swapping ‘HBO Max’ for ‘Warner Max’. Warner Bros. has a long and rich history in animation, blockbusters, and acclaimed movies, so it would be a natural fit – and ticks the ‘family-friendly’ box that the studio is seemingly concerned about.
Warner Bros. Discovery
But of course, I keep coming back to the fact that right now, HBO Max is doing well, and it feels like any major brand identity changes – and significant price hikes – can only really do damage at this point.
What I’m watching this week
I’ve been making my way slowly through Channel 4’s Taskmaster , of which there are a whopping 14 seasons available.
If you’ve never caught the gameshow before, Taskmaster brings on five comedians/TV personalities, and pits them against each other in a series of strange and unusual tasks, created and umpired by Alex Horne. They are then judged on their performances and awarded points by Greg Davies.
I’d like to give a particular shoutout to series seven starring James Acaster and Rhod Gilbert – the contestants gel incredibly well together and are both hilarious and hopeless.
If you’re not in the UK, you can still catch Taskmaster by using our guide for watching Channel 4 abroad .
Author: Hannah Cowton-Barnes, Entertainment Editor, Tech Advisor
As Tech Advisor’s Entertainment Editor, Hannah is the resident expert in all things streaming, film and TV. Before joining Tech Advisor in 2019, she studied Theatre and Performance at the University of Leeds and created a website dedicated to geek culture and lifestyle. She’s also reviewed a whole range of gadgets including flagship smartphones, wearables and styling tools. Outside of Foundry, she’s written freelance pieces for Polygon, Metro and Den of Geek, and is proud to be a Women Techmakers Ambassador for Google.
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