On July 9, 2025, HBO Max finally became “HBO Max” again — we can just forget those weird two years where it was just “Max.” (Though apparently Twitter can’t.)
And now, less than two months later, six of HBO’s seven (or so — the number expands and contracts across various markets) linear television channels have been renamed: HBO2 is now HBO Hits, HBO Signature is now HBO Drama, HBO Zone is now HBO Movies, MoreMAX is now Cinemax Hits, ActionMAX is now Cinemax Action and 5starMAX is now Cinemax Classics.
Those latter changes are also reflected on the former: the updated titles have made their way to HBO Max’s live in-app “Channels” (on select plans), which enables subscribers to stream live HBO programming via simulcasts.
Yes, HBO is out here rebranding everything. It’s kind of silly and there are definitely jokes to be made about David Zaslav overworking his branding/marketing teams — until you realize pretty much all of these platforms had bad names. (One was his and JB Perrette’s doing, most were not.)
In 2023, following the April 2022 formation of Warner Bros. Discovery (the ultimate rebrand as the merger of WarnerMedia, formerly of AT&T, and Discovery, Inc.), the established streamer HBO Max was downgraded to Max. The thinking at the time was that the “HBO” brand was selling the service, which also included Discovery and Turner programming as well as DC, a bit short. In halving the name, however, WBD also cut out the platform’s crown jewel from the title. HBO Max itself — the first time — was a rebrand of HBO Go, the successor to HBO on Broadband.
In announcing the HBO Max rebrand (de-brand?) in May 2025, HBO chairman and CEO Casey Bloys said, “We believe ‘HBO Max’ far better represents our current consumer proposition. And it clearly states our implicit promise to deliver content that is recognized as unique and, to steal a line we always said at HBO, worth paying for.”
“Returning the HBO brand into HBO Max will further drive the service forward and amplify the uniqueness that subscribers can expect from the offering,” a company statement added.
Cinemax’s ‘The Knick’ in 2014.
Mary Cybulski/Cinemax/Courtesy Everett Collection
“HBO2” was fine if not especially original. The channel consists of HBO reruns and runoffs, basically, which is perfectly implied by the name. It needn’t be changed, but it has been — a few times now. For a little while, HBO2 was “HBO Plus.” (Boy would an “HBO Plus” cable channel have been confusing in the days of Disney+, Discovery+, ESPN+, Apple TV+, Paramount+, BET+ and so on.)
Now, “HBO Hits” is … fine. Similarly, “HBO Signature” was not an insane name, but “HBO Drama” is marginally better in so much as it is more directly descriptive. Its original name, “HBO3,” was OK too, though its tertiary nature couldn’t have been more on display. HBO Zone is now “HBO Movies,” which is a far superior name.
Less than a month ago, we still had an “HBO Family” channel. Not anymore. We still have HBO Comedy and HBO Latino — no rebrand there necessary.
Today’s mass-rebrands are “solely a name change to more clearly reflect the linear offering,” an HBO spokesperson told The Hollywood Reporter. Programming on the respective networks is not being changed.
Cinemax (and its Spanish-language sister, Cinemáx) never really left us, but the names “MoreMAX” and “ActionMAX” were never fully clear about their affiliation to the main Cinemax channel. Guess what they once were called? “Cinemax 2” and Cinemax 3,” respectively. And what the hell even was “5starMax”? It sounds like the worst boy band of the ‘90s — that one really had to go.
At a time when Paramount has basically buried its Showtime brand, amplifying Cinemax — the former third wheel to HBO and Showtime — is a smart call. Of course, none of these ancillary HBO and Cinemax channels really move the needle. HBO and HBO Max subscribers pay their $10-$21 (give or take for linear) for the prestige dramas and the Max Originals — and yes, they’re still called that…for now.
