Over saturated: Corporate TV branding frenzy

Back in 2019, Disney faced a big decision: what to name its new streaming service that would go head-to-head with Netflix. And you know what? They kept it simple. The result? Disney+. It’s a name that says it all: “Disney, and then some.” And it worked so well that it set off a chain reaction in the media world. Suddenly we had Paramount+, Apple TV+, Discovery+, and AMC+ (and let’s not forget about ESPN+ from the year before).

It’s kind of funny how things come full circle. Just recently, Warner Bros. Discovery decided to drop the “Max” from HBO Max (after HBO Max was launched by AT&T five years ago) and go back to the old name. It’s pretty close to all those other plus signs, don’t you think?

A lot of streaming services are playing the name game these days, looking for catchy new names or refining their old ones. It’s all about standing out from the crowd. But hey, too many changes can make it confusing for viewers and even Emmy voters. Especially when they’re trying to decide who to honor in the world of entertainment.

After WarnerMedia and Discovery merged in 2022 to become Warner Bros. Discovery (yeah, they kept that one simple), they decided to go big with a name change. HBO Max became simply Max. They wanted to show that Max had more to offer than just HBO. And you know what? Keep it simple, right?