John Oliver Mocks HBO Max & Max Branding Name Fiasco
John Oliver, host of HBO’s “Last Week Tonight With John Oliver,” recently expressed his confusion over Warner Bros. Discovery’s decision to change the name of Max back to HBO Max after just two years. During a segment discussing President Trump’s actions towards the press, Oliver humorously mentioned the difficulty of adjusting to a name change, especially when it seems unnecessary.
Oliver jokingly criticized the series of name changes that the streaming service underwent, from HBO Go to HBO Now to HBO Max and finally to Max before reverting back to HBO Max. He mocked the decision-makers at Warner Bros. Discovery for constantly changing the name and described it as a series of dumb decisions.
Warner Bros. Discovery executives anticipated Oliver’s reaction to the rebranding and even joked about it at a media event. However, Oliver responded with mock outrage, refusing to conform to their expectations. He criticized the company for coming up with so many “stupid names” and questioned their intelligence in making such decisions.
The decision to switch back to HBO Max was announced at the Warner Bros. Discovery advertising upfront, with CEO David Zaslav explaining that the move was to emphasize the quality of programming associated with the HBO brand. This decision was seen as an attempt to rectify what branding experts called a big misstep.
Oliver had previously criticized Warner Bros. Discovery for removing the HBO name from the streaming service and adding content from Discovery’s networks. He sarcastically created a new slogan for Max and expressed his frustration with the company’s decision to delay releasing full episodes of his show on YouTube to encourage signups for Max.
Despite his previous criticisms, Oliver’s show resumed posting episodes on YouTube shortly after premiering on Max in February. The constant changes and decisions made by Warner Bros. Discovery have left Oliver and many others puzzled, highlighting the challenges of rebranding and the importance of maintaining a consistent identity in the streaming industry.
