HBO Max Changed Its Name. Does It Matter?
In most ways, probably not. But there is one impactful consequence.
Welcome:
I’ve now reached the point where I’m not just mowing my lawn, but I’m then raking up the excess clumps of grass in areas where it got a bit too long before the mow.
This is either a Great Accomplishment In Dad or embarrassing because it means I’ve let the grass get too long before cutting it. Let me know what you think in the comments.
One Big Trend: It’s just “Max”
On to the next name. Photo by Nick Fewings on Unsplash
HBO Max is now just “Max”. My immediate feelings about this can be summarized by the following tweet:
This is a reference to Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav, who decided on the change. Since he took over the combined company, Zaslav has mostly been known for making cuts. He’s taken shows off of streaming services. He has shelved movies that were essentially completed. He’s laid off thousands of people.
Now he has taken the prestige away from HBO Max. At least, that’s what some would have you believe. Instead of allowing for HBO Max and Discovery+ to exist as separate entities within one company, Zaslav has opted to combine them and, while doing so, rename the streaming service without the reference to the Home Box Office.
The thought here is that it’s making the service more approachable to people who may have been turned off by the kind of programming produced by HBO. While that programming is critically acclaimed and HBO has been widely regarded as the most consistent source of top-tier television for the past few decades, it’s far from populist. The brand is seen as sort of elitist. This is probably partially due to the programming, but I’d bet it’s also due to the fact that even in cable’s most popular days, only a small segment of the population paid the extra money for HBO each month. Before the word premium started to be thrown around to describe whatever it was you might be selling, HBO was truly premium. Nowadays, even though the content is much more available, that sense of unnecessary luxury might be a turn off for consumers.
That isn’t the only reason for the change. As Max is now welcoming all of the programming from Discovery+, from Fixer Upper to Dr. Pimple Popper, Zaslav felt it was right to drop the HBO piece of the name. Frankly, the name was already a bit of a stretch. Friends and The Big Bang Theory did not air on HBO. Maybe this is a change that should have happened some time ago and is just now finally taking place.
The real question is, does any of this matter? Yes and no. The name is somewhat inconsequential. Naming things in general is sort of a silly exercise. It’s the most important thing in the world until it’s over, and then it’s just what you call something. The name Hulu was lampooned at launch. Peacock was a really interesting choice that raised some eyebrows. The litany of “+” services have showed just how safe most places wanted to play it. But almost all of the time the names don’t actually make a difference.
The consolidation of apps, though? Now that makes a difference. With the wide number of streaming services now available, taking one off of the board and folding it into another, especially when both are popular, is the right move. After all, these are old corporate divisions. You’ve merged the company, it makes sense to merge the services. Disney is set to follow suit later this year, merging Hulu and Disney+ into one. You can even keep things separate within the app if you’d like. But having them under one digital roof is wise.
We’re onto the next stage of the streaming wars. In this part, companies have stopped talking about subscriber numbers and spending endlessly on limitless content. They have instead started talking about profits. They’ve taken the steps they think are necessary not to pop a subscriber number for the quarter, but to prove they can make money and hang around both in a downturn and in the long term. Or, at the very least, to make themselves an attractive acquisition target. This change must be seen through that lens.
Why should you care?: The truth is that no one knows the best way forward. Beyond that, these companies are not starting from scratch. Previously established end goals are changing drastically, and streamers are adjusting mid-flight. It’s (still) a tumultuous time. Leaders need to keep their eye on the ball, resisting the urge to follow every trend, but they need to be agile, too.
Recommended Reading
An industry short on enthusiasm: Where are all the fiber technicians?
This is a fascinating piece that hits on something that we are too quick to forget. For how digital the world has become, there is still a major physical backbone that powers it. Furthermore, workers who can do things like build out high speed Internet networks need to be found, hired, trained, and retained.
The key quote here comes from Flume Internet CEO Prashanth Vijay, “There's just not much enthusiasm to go and like… dig a trench.” Indeed. In 2023, we are actually in need of more people who can and are willing to go out and dig trenches, install fiber, and expand the high speed Internet network. Salaries for these folks can exceed 6 figures, so it isn’t just the money.
Before you take me as one of those imbecilic “nobody wants to work any more” people, ask yourself, would you do this? I sure wouldn’t. Computer jobs are pretty good, and they’re available! That’s a funny problem that we’re facing at the moment. Who wants to go dig a hole and drop some fiber in it for 8 hours a day?
And yet, that’s what we need. I don’t have a solution here, maybe the salaries will need to go up even more. Or maybe there’s some enterprising State of Play readers who will decide they’d like to try their hand at this type of work. Let me know if that’s you.
Wrestling Fact of the Week:
Injuries are an unfortunate part of wrestling. One of the best women’s wrestlers in the business, Mercedes Moné, looked certain to win her match last weekend and become the first Strong Women’s Champion, a new title that is just being established. However, Moné suffered a real-life injury, leading the company to pivot in the moment and give the title to her opponent, Willow Nightingale. It’s surely a bittersweet win for Nightingale, but it’s still a win. Also, this opens the door to plenty of story in the future. Here’s hoping that Moné heals up quickly and is back in the ring soon.
Have a great rest of your week.
I just heard about the HBO change. Thanks for the insight!