“Skip, were the HBO Max and Paramount+ with SHOWTIME name changes truly awful, or is everyone just piling on in hindsight?”
— One of the eight people who defended “Max” on LinkedIn
Names don’t matter—until they do. Netflix is a made-up word. Prime Video’s a shipping perk. And Peacock? That’s less a brand name, more a setup for a late-night monologue.
But while names alone don’t sink streaming services, the reasons behind them absolutely can, because they tell you who’s in charge. They show whether the people at the top have vision or just a calendar full of second-guessing.
And that’s why the rebrandings around HBO Max and “Paramount+ with SHOWTIME” weren’t just cosmetic flubs. They were warning signs. Of bad instincts. Of ego preservation. Of leadership that’s better at spin than strategy.
HBO Max: Drop the Name, Drop the Ball
The name “HBO Max” is fine. The problem was dropping HBO—one of the strongest, most recognizable brands in entertainment—for something as empty and flavorless as “Max.”
That name didn’t carry meaning. It erased it.
And then, after spending two years justifying that decision with strategy-speak and brand decks, WBD reversed course. No announcement, no real explanation—just quietly flipped the switch back to HBO Max.
You don’t throw away a brand like HBO, pretend the replacement is an upgrade, and then boomerang back unless you’re completely out of ideas.
That’s not a rebrand. That’s a retreat.
They even borrowed the name “Max” from Netflix, a forgotten content bot on the PS3 that cracked jokes and recommended movies like it was hosting a game show. Fun for five minutes, but hardly the name to carry the weight of a billion-dollar platform.
So yeah, when WBD pulled this move, the industry didn’t just roll its eyes—it questioned if anyone steering the ship knew where they were going.
Paramount+: Where Brand Strategy Went to Make Friends
Over at Paramount, the situation was different but just as messy. Their premium tier became “Paramount+ with SHOWTIME,” which sounds like a bundle your aunt accidentally signs up for.
This wasn’t about consumer clarity. It was about internal peacekeeping. Showtime had execs, legacy clout, and brand equity that folks didn’t want to abandon. So instead of merging content and simplifying the offering, they mashed names together like a corporate group project gone awry.
And because they also renamed the linear SHOWTIME channel “Paramount+ with SHOWTIME,” subscribers were left wondering what the hell they were even buying. Was this a channel? A streamer? An add-on? A podcast?
Eventually, Paramount walked it back—quietly, of course. The new name? “Paramount+ Premium.” Not flashy. Not memorable. But at least it doesn’t need a translation guide.
Netflix Never Blinked
Let’s contrast that with Netflix for a second.
They’ve never rebranded. Never slapped a “+” or a “Go” or a “with anything” onto their service. They’ve been Netflix from day one—a name that meant nothing until it meant everything.
They experimented once with the original “Max,” the quirky, joke-cracking AI assistant. It was fun. It flopped. They killed it. No drama. No “pivot to quality” narrative. Just clean execution and move on.
That’s the difference between companies who own their brand and ones who manage it like a political coalition.
This Isn’t About Names. It’s About Who’s Driving the Bus
It’s easy to dunk on “Max” and “Paramount+ with SHOWTIME.” The names were awkward. The rollouts were clunky. But the real issue is what these decisions say about leadership.
These weren’t consumer-first moves. They were C-suite compromises. Boardroom bandaids. Signs that the execs running the show were more focused on keeping everyone internally happy than making anything clearer for the audience.
That’s what makes them so damaging. Not the typography. Not the URLs. The complete lack of conviction behind them.
Skip Says
The names themselves? Forgettable. The thinking behind them? Unforgivable.
You don’t need the perfect brand to win in streaming. But you do need a clear identity. A real POV. And the guts to stick with it.
Right now, Netflix has that. Disney definitely has that.
Meanwhile, WBD renamed HBO Max to “Max” to be more inclusive… and then changed it back. Paramount tried to keep everyone’s legacy alive in the name, and lost clarity in the process.
If that’s not a metaphor for this industry’s leadership crisis, I don’t know what is.
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