WBD CEO David Zaslav announced the move, with the company declaring, "no consumer today is saying they want more content, but better content."

Warner Bros. Discovery ignited a wave of social media reactions when it announced it was renaming its streaming service HBO Max.

A little more than two years after lopping “HBO” off of the streamer’s name to create the breezily-named Max streamer, Warner Bros. Discovery has decided to reverse course. Max — the unloved mononymous identity, too cool or too anxious to acknowledge its origins — is HBO Max once more .

We’re not quite there yet, but it sure feels imminent.

HBO Max launched in 2020, but Warner Bros. Discovery relaunched the service three years later, filling it with content from its other properties, like Discovery, TLC, and HGTV. As part of the relaunch, it renamed the service to just “Max” to signal that it’s suitable for kids and families.

Normally, Conan O'Brien and the "Inside the NBA" stars get the biggest laughs at a Warner Bros. Discovery (and before that, a Turner Networks) upfront. O'Brien wasn't there, instead appearing via a quick,

Warner Bros. Discovery's rebranding of HBO Max highlights the merger's failure to reach its original goal.

HBO Max became simply Max in 2023. Now Warner Bros. Discovery is going back to basics and reclaiming a brand long associated with high-quality programming.

HBO is synonymous with great television -- and now HBO Max, the re-rechristened name of Warner Bros. Discovery's linchpin streaming service, is synonymous with major corporate reversals. There is little doubt about that,