A look at WBD's reasons behind rebranding HBO Max to Max; Netflix executives were surprised to see Disney's Josh D'Amaro at Netflix's upfront and afterparty
Context & Ripple Effects
WBD’s naming decision followed its 2023 launch of Max as a combined HBO and Discovery+ service. The company has since said it will restore the HBO Max name, making the rationale for dropping HBO a useful case study in how a streaming brand is positioned and corrected.
The same report places Disney’s Josh D’Amaro at Netflix’s advertiser-facing events, an unusual point of contact between two major entertainment rivals rather than evidence of a disclosed transaction or partnership.
First-order effects
- WBD’s explanation puts its streaming-brand trade-off into focus: a broader umbrella name could accommodate more programming, while removing HBO risked weakening the service’s clearest quality signal—an issue underscored by the planned return to the HBO Max name.
- D’Amaro’s attendance immediately gives Netflix executives and advertisers a visible reminder that Disney is monitoring Netflix’s upfront ecosystem closely.
Second-order effects
- Restoring HBO in the service name can pressure other streamers to favor recognizable content brands over generic platform labels when marketing a mixed catalog.
- Netflix and Disney’s advertiser-sales teams are likely to treat high-profile industry appearances as competitive signaling, increasing attention to relationships with buyers and distribution partners.
Third-order effects
- If repeated rebrands continue to prove costly or confusing, streaming groups may rely more heavily on established studio and premium-content brands rather than trying to build all-purpose platform identities.
- Upfronts are becoming broader competitive forums across streaming, advertising, and entertainment leadership, even when no formal commercial announcement accompanies the interaction.
The trend: Streaming companies are recalibrating broad platform branding around trusted content franchises while competing more visibly for advertiser attention.