It's not TV, and it's not HBO Max. It's just ... Max.
Warner Bros. Discovery plans to combine HBO Max and Discovery+ into a single streaming service next year, and a new report may reveal its name. The merged streaming platform is expected to simply be called "Max," according to CNBC, which said the company's lawyers are vetting this name but that it could still be changed.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Discovery+ is the home of unscripted content from brands like HGTV, the Food Network, and TLC, and a tab of CNN originals was launched following the collapse of CNN+. During an earnings call in August, executive JB Perrette described the two services as "unique and complementary," with HBO Max offering "appointment viewing" while Discovery+ offers "comfort viewing."
As for the reasoning behind the new name, CNBC's report notes some executives feared HBO Max "may eventually dilute" the HBO brand, leading consumers to associate everything on the service with the HBO network itself. In the new combined streamer, HBO will reportedly be one of several "hubs" alongside brands like Discovery and DC Comics, similar to the way Disney+ has hubs for Star Wars, Marvel, and National Geographic.
The combined streamer is expected to launch in spring 2023.
-
Did Trump just push India into China's arms?Today's Big Question Tariffs disrupt American efforts to align with India
-
UN votes to end Lebanon peacekeeping missionSpeed Read The Trump administration considers the UN's Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) to be a 'waste of money'
-
RFK Jr. names new CDC head as staff revoltSpeed Read Kennedy installed his deputy, Jim O'Neill, as acting CDC director
-
Florida erases rainbow crosswalk at Pulse nightclubSpeed Read The colorful crosswalk was outside the former LGBTQ nightclub where 49 people were killed in a 2016 shooting
-
Trump says Smithsonian too focused on slavery's illsSpeed Read The president would prefer the museum to highlight 'success,' 'brightness' and 'the future'
-
Trump to host Kennedy Honors for Kiss, StalloneSpeed Read Actor Sylvester Stallone and the glam-rock band Kiss were among those named as this year's inductees
-
White House seeks to bend Smithsonian to Trump's viewSpeed Read The Smithsonian Institution's 21 museums are under review to ensure their content aligns with the president's interpretation of American history
-
Charlamagne Tha God irks Trump with Epstein talkSpeed Read The radio host said the Jeffrey Epstein scandal could help 'traditional conservatives' take back the Republican Party
-
CBS cancels Colbert's 'Late Show'Speed Read 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert' is ending next year
-
Shakespeare not an absent spouse, study proposesspeed read A letter fragment suggests that the Shakespeares lived together all along, says scholar Matthew Steggle
-
New Mexico to investigate death of Gene Hackman, wifespeed read The Oscar-winning actor and his wife Betsy Arakawa were found dead in their home with no signs of foul play
