Talk:Max (streaming service)

Japan's Max (U-NEXT)

Information was released two days ago that the event will start at 2:00 p.m. on September 25, 2024. [1] Nikajp (talk) 02:43, 21 September 2024 (UTC)

English Version. "Max to Debut in Japan Within U-Next Platform" Nikajp (talk) 02:46, 21 September 2024 (UTC)

Update availability

It's available in more countries now, all Asian countries, so we need to update the image in the launch section. Jstewart2007 (talk) 03:04, 24 November 2024 (UTC)

Splitting proposal

The following discussion is closed. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made in a new section. A summary of the conclusions reached follows.

Not split, proposed user is currently blocked GeekInParadise (talk) 02:28, 15 May 2025 (UTC)

---

I propose that the section about blinker liquids be split into a separate page called HBO Max. The content of the section is only marginally related to the main article, and this section is large and well-sourced enough to make its own page.

Well, anonymous, the HBO Max branding is returning so no split is really necessary. kpgamingz (rant on me) 14:27, 14 May 2025 (UTC)

This article should not be split. This service was just under a different name for a period of time, not a separate service. Trailblazer101 (talk) 14:45, 14 May 2025 (UTC)

• Oppose split. Same service just going back to its original name.oknazevad (talk) 15:31, 14 May 2025 (UTC)

• Comment - the IP user who proposed this split has a history of creating split proposals related to "blinker liquids" and is currently blocked. Limmidy (talk) 16:05, 14 May 2025 (UTC)

  In that case, I think this can be speedily closed and not taken with much weight. Trailblazer101 (talk) 16:10, 14 May 2025 (UTC)

  Agree  Not done 17:23, 14 May 2025 (UTC) GeekInParadise (talk) 17:23, 14 May 2025 (UTC)

The discussion above is closed. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page. No further edits should be made to this discussion.

Requested move 24 May 2025

Max (streaming service) → HBO Max – HBO Max was always the WP:COMMONNAME of the service, even after the rebranding. With the service being rebranded back to HBO Max, it seems a no-brainer to move the article back to the commonly used (and now once again official) name. silviaASH (inquire within) 22:38, 24 May 2025 (UTC) — Relisting. TarnishedPath^talk 11:03, 1 June 2025 (UTC)

• Support but wait Max is indeed rebranded back to HBO Max, but we have not confirmation date yet when the rebrand officially happen. Let's wait for official date of the rebranding back as HBO Max from WBD to move the article. 114.4.214.215 (talk) 23:44, 24 May 2025 (UTC)
• Oppose for now. I am only opposing at this time as the nomination is WP:TOOSOON. While this rebrand has been announced, it is premature to state that this may not be changed until it occurs, per WP:CRYSTAL, as we can never be too certain about these things. I do not disagree that HBO Max is the common name, but this move would have been made uncontroversially upon the change taking effect, and I think that should be what happens here. — Trailblazer¹⁰¹🔥 ^{(discuss · contribs)} 00:50, 25 May 2025 (UTC)

Note: WikiProject Websites, WikiProject Television, WikiProject Media, WikiProject Computing, WikiProject Apps, WikiProject Film, and WikiProject Internet have been notified of this discussion. — Trailblazer¹⁰¹🔥 ^{(discuss · contribs)} 00:50, 25 May 2025 (UTC)

• Wait for now Honestly, i think i didn't oppose the renaming of Max back to HBO Max. But given that Warner Bros. Discovery isn't announce the official date of the rebranding yet (not just saying "this summer" like recent WBD announcement), i agree with Trailblazer101 that we should on-hold the page move for this article until WBD officially announce the date of the rebranding, and we do not predict the things (WP:CRYSTAL). Once WBD officially announce the date of the rebranding, we can uncontroversially move the article on date of the rebranding. Lets saying that WBD announce June 20 as day of the rebranding, we can move the page uncontroversially on that date. 103.111.102.118 (talk) 02:50, 25 May 2025 (UTC)
• Wait - I don't disagree with this at all, but I think it's too soon as well. We should just wait until the rebrand back is launched. Limmidy (talk) 03:01, 25 May 2025 (UTC)
• Speedy close as premature – I really don't understand why every time there is a rebranding, editors are tempted to immediately open an RM. Once the name change takes effect, this article will be uncontroversially and summarily moved to reflect the new name as it is almost certain to supersede the old one as the new WP:COMMONNAME. That hasn't happened yet, and we should not move the article before then. RMs only delay this process if they are not closed beforehand (and yes, this has happened before and I had to make a few calls to get the RM closed). InfiniteNexus (talk) 17:44, 25 May 2025 (UTC)

  The use of the common name should not be controversial, regardless of whatever the current branding is. As I said, HBO Max was always the common name, and it's also the most WP:NATURAL title. We didn't rush to move Twitter to X (social network). silviaASH (inquire within) 12:31, 26 May 2025 (UTC)

  I'm not necessarily disagreeing with the assertion that HBO Max has remained the COMMONNAME, but are you able to present evidence in support? It is difficult to rely on web search results, since "Max" (not preceded by HBO) is a common term. GoneIn60 (talk) 14:07, 26 May 2025 (UTC)

• Lean support, prefer to Wait. I'm inclined to think this change is inevitable, but I don't have a high enough degree of certainty to give full support now. My sense is that the common name among the general public may never have changed, but I agree with GoneIn60 that this is difficult to prove. Media, entertainment, and business publications have tended to adopt the new official name fairly quickly with each change, though often with a "formerly, [HBO] Max" or similar. As soon as 1 month, and preferably 2, we'll have more evidence on which to make a firm case. I see little harm in waiting or changing now, but a slightly greater chance of instability if we make a hasty change now.--MYCETEAE 🍄‍🟫—talk 04:34, 28 May 2025 (UTC)

I didn't realize the rebrand was slated to occur later this year, with no firm date announced. This THR article is representative of usage I am seeing in many outlets. They are careful to call it Max in the present tense, call it HBO Max when discussing past developments that occurred under the former name, and tentatively use HBO Max when referring to future events that are supposed to take place after the re-rebrand. Better to wait. --MYCETEAE 🍄‍🟫—talk 15:59, 28 May 2025 (UTC)

As another spot-check I did a Google News search for And Just Like That… since there is a flurry of coverage surrounding its premier. I found five sources using Max (Entertainment Weekly, Daily Mail, BuzzFeed, ABC, and HuffPost) and three using three using HBO Max (USA Today, People, and SheKnows via Yahoo!) and some that were inconsistent or did not actually name the network. Similar to the THR link above, IndieWire makes explicit reference to the past, present, and future titles of the two related shows and networks/streaming platforms:

“And Just Like That” wasn’t “Sex and the City,” but only in the same way Max wasn’t HBO; seeing one as interchangeable with the other may tarnish the established brand’s reputation. […] It’s fitting, then, that during the same summer Max becomes HBO Max (again), “And Just Like That” starts to feel more like “Sex and the City” than ever.

There is still zero evidence that HBO Max is the current common name. --MYCETEAE 🍄‍🟫—talk 22:58, 3 June 2025 (UTC)

Yes, there will be inconsistencies, which is what I've found as well. However, non-US sources tend to lean more in the direction of "HBO Max", although they are also inconsistent. -- GoneIn60 (talk) 10:42, 4 June 2025 (UTC)

• Conditionally support I acknowledged that all participants in this discussion agree that Max should be reverted as HBO Max. However, because Warner Bros. Discovery isn't officially announce the actual date of rebranding, we should postpone the immediate page move until WBD officially announces the date. When the company that owns the streaming service set the official date of rebranding, we can speedily move the page without discussion on that date. Waiting for the discussion to close until months later can delay the speedy page move of the article while the official date of rebranding remains uncertain. 2404:8000:1037:587:6DA4:183D:E924:F7AE (talk) 10:01, 28 May 2025 (UTC)
• Oppose for now: this discussion should happen after the rebranding is complete. Vestrian24Bio 12:07, 28 May 2025 (UTC)

This article even can be moved without any discussion when the official rebranding happens. Max to HBO Max page move is pretty uncontroversial, but firm, official date of the rebranding remains uncertain. 103.111.102.118 (talk) 17:27, 28 May 2025 (UTC)

No, it will have to become the COMMONNAME first. Vestrian24Bio 01:57, 29 May 2025 (UTC)

That is not necessarily true. This article would have been moved to HBO Max upon the rebranding taking effect regardless of this discussion being started. Common name is only one of many factors to determine an article's title, alongside NATURAL. In the latter case, HBO Max would work, and is more than likely a more sought after name for this service. This would have been an uncontroversial move post-rebrand. — Trailblazer¹⁰¹🔥 ^{(discuss · contribs)} 02:09, 29 May 2025 (UTC)

I'm not sure it would be/will be entirely uncontroversial especially if the move/move request occurs immediately after the official name change goes live. Given the service's history of frequent rebrands, this page's lack of stable title as a direct result of such changes, and the range of opinions expressed in this RM, there is clearly *some* controversy. I agree there are many considerations, including the Article titles policy section WP:NAMECHANGES which calls for giving more weight to independent, reliable sources published after a name change to determine common usage. The water is often muddy right after a name change because you have a flurry of coverage about the name change itself and much less simply covering the subject itself. --MYCETEAE 🍄‍🟫—talk 16:58, 29 May 2025 (UTC)

• Support. "Wikipedia does not necessarily use the subject's official name as an article title; it generally prefers the name that is most commonly used." Regardless of what the official name is currently, reliable sources are calling it HBO Max [2] [3] [4] [5]. The proposed title also works per WP:NATURAL. ~~ Jessintime (talk) 14:59, 30 May 2025 (UTC)
• Support move now. Why should we wait? The shortened "Max" branding is currently only used in the United States while the longer "HBO Max" is used in all the other various countries. Plus WP:NCDAB states that natural disambiguation that is unambiguous, commonly used, and clear is generally preferable to parenthetical disambiguation. Zzyzx11 (talk) 16:33, 30 May 2025 (UTC)

  Actually, the name "HBO Max" is currently only used in Belgium and Netherlands (with "HBO" logo attached with current "Max" logo). The "Max" brand that applied for the US and rest of world with exceptions of territories above will soon be reverted as "HBO Max" (but with brand new logo). However, it isn't clearly stated when the date of rebranding officially happen, so i think it's best to hold up the move until WBD officially announce the rebranding day/date. In the end, the page move discussion for this article is nearly unanimous for reverted to HBO Max, only the official date of rebranding is still uncertain. --103.111.102.118 (talk) 11:34, 5 June 2025 (UTC)

• Support per WP:NATURAL. While I disagree we can conclude that non-US sources consistently refer to the streaming service as "HBO Max" (examples where they call it "Max": 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5), the alternative name "HBO Max" does qualify as a superior form of natural disambiguation. It doesn't have to be the COMMONNAME to qualify for NATURAL. --GoneIn60 (talk) 17:31, 30 May 2025 (UTC)

  NATURAL is more of a recommendation and not gospel, but WP:CRYSTAL still applies as part of NAMECHANGES because, given this service's track record, we cannot definitively know for certain that it will be commonly known as HBO Max more than just Max, especially before the announced rebranding has occurred. A lot of the sources provided are too WP:RECENT. — Trailblazer¹⁰¹🔥 ^{(discuss · contribs)} 22:57, 30 May 2025 (UTC)

  It seems you may be stuck on what the official name currently is, but even if that doesn't change as announced, HBO Max has been and continues to be a widely-recognized alternative name. CRYSTAL doesn't apply. We have an ambiguous title that can be eliminated by a common alternative name – a policy-based approach described at NATURAL. -- GoneIn60 (talk) 11:54, 31 May 2025 (UTC)

  I'm not hung up on the Max name, I just don't think we should be so quick and potentially hasty with these moves and prefer to err on the side of caution in line with CRYSTAL, though several sources have picked up HBO Max as the go-to name. NATURAL arguments are not the sole reason a move should be made. — Trailblazer¹⁰¹🔥 ^{(discuss · contribs)} 21:50, 1 June 2025 (UTC)

  The examples at NATURAL show that it can be the sole reason, but that's a moot point. In addition, HBO Max may even still be the COMMONNAME when ALL English-based sources are taken into account, as argued by others including Ed below. The past move in 2023 seems to have lacked proper discussion as well, or at least I'm not seeing it. -- GoneIn60 (talk) 02:18, 2 June 2025 (UTC)

• Support. Sources are already using both names, with no decisive common name. Both are recognizable. In favor of HBO Max, it's natural. And concise. Adumbrativus (talk) 02:04, 31 May 2025 (UTC)
• Support an immediate move per WP:COMMONNAME. From what I've seen, I'm not convinced it ever wasn't the common name (in that "HBO" was nearly always used in close proximity to "Max"). Ed ^{[talk] [OMT]} 04:30, 31 May 2025 (UTC)
  • To ensure my !vote is clear, I support an immediate move regardless of WB's plans for Max's official name. COMMONNAME, which is a full-fledged policy, is clear when we face a situation like this ("Wikipedia does not necessarily use the subject's official name as an article title; it generally prefers the name that is most commonly used (as determined by its prevalence in a significant majority of independent, reliable, English-language sources) ..."). The closing admin might need to consider discarding !votes that do not adequately rebut that point. Ed ^{[talk] [OMT]} 19:03, 1 June 2025 (UTC)

    Despite repeated assertion by multiple editors that HBO Max is and always has been the common name, no evidence has been provided. While not comprehensive, several sources have been shared that at least point to inconsistency. The closer will also need to consider discarding !votes based on unsupported assertions. --MYCETEAE 🍄‍🟫—talk 22:29, 3 June 2025 (UTC)

    The converse is also true regarding the original move away from HBO Max in this move. No evidence was presented to the contrary. All we did was follow the official name, which is not what we blindly do on Wikipedia, especially when the official name leads to an ambiguous title. -- GoneIn60 (talk) 10:46, 4 June 2025 (UTC)

• Wait: Plans can always change. Better to wait than to change it back later just in case. FaithLehaneTheVampireSlayer (talk) 06:25, 31 May 2025 (UTC)

Support, it is nonsensical to wait or to oppose this move. For example, our article on twitter completely disregards the official name because it is not relevant. Wikipedia's policy is not to use the self-described name, but to use the name most commonly used for the thing. See Twitter, United Kingdom, Soviet Union, East Germany, China, Taiwan, North Korea, South Korea, etc. Easternsahara (talk) 23:38, 2 June 2025 (UTC)

Prudence and patience is not nonsensical. Corporations can always change their minds when they feel something is or isn't marketable. FaithLehaneTheVampireSlayer (talk) 16:36, 3 June 2025 (UTC)

Right, but virtue doesn't change the common name. Easternsahara (talk) 17:12, 3 June 2025 (UTC)