Warner’s New Max Service Is a Decade Overdue

Better late than never. That could be the motto of Warner Bros. Discovery, which today put on a glitzy presentation to promote its overhauled streaming service, to be renamed Max (dropping HBO from the name) on May 23. The new service, combining shows from the company’s Discovery portfolio of reality shows with HBO Max’s lineup, is a worthy competitor to Netflix. It’s even got similar price points, Netflix-like program recommendations and other product improvements. Even better, WBD plans to add news and live sports eventually. If an earlier corporate version of Warner had launched this service a decade or so ago, when Netflix was taking off, the history of streaming entertainment likely would have turned out very differently.

But that’s not what happened, and it’s a little hard to believe that a service with as forgettable a name as Max is going to change the dynamics of the market significantly now. WBD made a believable pitch today that Max has something for everyone, ranging from schlocky reality series to kids’ stuff to high-quality HBO series. (Jodie Foster stars in a new season of “True Detective,” set in Alaska—what’s not to like?) When it comes down to it, though, until WBD adds news and live sports elements, Max is essentially HBO Max with Discovery programs thrown in. How many people who’ve previously ruled out HBO Max are going to change their mind because they can watch an HGTV show on the service as well?