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HBO Max is back.

The Hollywood Reporter reported on Tuesday that Warner Bros. Discovery would officially rebrand its Max streaming service to HBO Max on Wednesday, per a source familiar with the matter — and that change over is now live.

The name change, first announced onstage at Wbd’s upfront presentation back in May, will see Max rebrand to HBO Max, the name it used from 2020 until 2023. “I know you’re all shocked, but the good news is I have a drawer full of stationery from the last time around,” HBO chief Casey Bloys quipped onstage at the upfront.

The pivot comes after Wbd decided to change its streaming strategy and lean into the premium nature of HBO’s offering, pulling back in some areas like unscripted and kids and family programming, rather than compete on scale with the likes of Netflix.

“This evolution has been influenced by changing consumer needs,...

Warner Bros Discovery’s flagship streaming service will return to its original HBO Max name on Wednesday, ending an ill-starred two years when it has been known as Max.

The timing of the shift, which was announced to a theater full of stunned (yet amused) advertisers last May during Wbd’s upfront presentation, was confirmed to Deadline by a person familiar with the rebrand.

When they announced the back-to-the-future move last May, executives cited the momentum from adding 22 million subscribers over the prior year and expanding the global footprint. They also said their goal was to “amplify the uniqueness” of the service for viewers drowning in an ocean of programming. Hints of the change appeared last spring, as Max’s color scheme changed from blue to dark grey. The new logo preserves the rounded letters of the original HBO.

Wbd, which was formed in 2022 after the merger of Discovery and WarnerMedia,...

There are multiple reasons for the company to pursue this course of action, but the main reason doesn’t reflect well on its executives.

Warner Bros. Discovery is looking to the future. In its view, the best way to secure that future is to split itself into two separate companies, a move it announced it planned to pursue on Monday. Wbd will likely generate headlines for months based on that decision, but it also raises the question of why it felt dividing was the best move going forward.

Key Details: Streaming first: Wbd’s decision to split its company up will help it emphasize its streamer Max. Good-bye, cable: Wbd could move on from its cable channels quickly. Stock slump: Ultimately, Wbd’s failure to create value for shareholders is the reason for its split. Sign Up $9.99+ / month max via prime video

There is a definite logic to Wbd’s...

According to Alex Sherman of CNBC, ESPN will call its new forthcoming streamer…’ESPN.’

When Alex Sherman of CNBC reports a scoop in the entertainment news world, you can take it to the bank. Sherman dropped another of his signature breaking stories on Friday, when he announced that the new ESPN streaming service — which had been referred to by ESPN and Disney officials by its working title Flagship for many months — has settled on an official moniker. It’s one fans will be eminently familiar with.

Key Details: Meet ESPN: The new ESPN streaming service will be called simply “ESPN.” More or less confusing?: Sherman reports the simplified name is intended to cut down on customer confusion. More details soon: The price of ESPN is due to be revealed early next week. Sign Up Now $10.99+ / month espnplus.com

Say goodbye to Flagship, and hello to “ESPN.” According to Sherman,...

CNBC is throwing its weight behind its nascent CNBC Sport brand, bringing its sports business coverage to CNBC TV and live events in a significant way.

The company will launch a CNBC Sport weekend show CNBC Sport: On The Record, that features interview with sports business executives and newsmakers, and is planning a series of long-form CNBC Sport-branded productions that explore the intersection of sports and business, with NBA superstar Steph Curry’s off-court endeavors through his company Thirty Ink set to be the focus of the first such project.

“In an era where everything is time shifted or time delayed, sports is the one sort of appointment type viewing — that and the live market, by the way — so you have to be engaged,” says Max Meyers, VP & senior executive producer of strategic verticals & audience development, in an interview. “And that has inflated the value of these franchises, and there...

Dividing the package into multiple parts could help MLB pull in more revenue, but there are risks involved.

MLB has to choose its next steps very carefully. The league has taken the plunge and opted out of its longstanding broadcast deal with ESPN, a move which will see MLB games disappear from that network following the 2025 season. As it hunts for a new partner for that package of games, MLB executives face the question of whether or not they want to sell it all as one parcel, or if it will break it up into smaller parts in the hopes of potentially attracting streaming services like Netflix.

Key Details: ESPN’s current MLB package includes 30 regular season games, a wild card series, and the Home Run Derby. MLB may be able to sell Netflix more easily on baseball content it can turn into events. ESPN may still be the best...

ESPN has discussed adding user generated content to its upcoming direct-to-consumer service, internally codenamed Flagship, set to launch this fall, an insider familiar with the matter tells TheWrap.

The person did not elaborate on the discussions, but said that if the service decides to add user-generated content (Ugc), it would not be included at launch.

CNBC’s Alex Sherman, who first reported the discussions, said that the Ugc content would be geared towards “a shared experience between kids and parents.” He added that the service may end up costing either $25 or $30 per month and that a final decision on pricing has not been decided. Pricing, a name and an official launch date are expected to come in the next few months.

An ESPN spokesperson declined to comment.

The discussions about possibly adding Ugc comes as YouTube has dominated TV viewing in the streaming category, according to Nielsen’s monthly Gauge report.

Main Street Sports Group CEO David Preschlak sat down with CNBC’s Alex Sherman to discuss the future of his company after leaving bankruptcy.

If there’s a new spring in David Preschlack’s step, there’s a pretty darn good reason for it. Preschlack is the CEO of Main Street Sports Group — the company formerly known as Diamond Sports Group — and has guided his company through a long and arduous bankruptcy process that stretched from March 2023 all the way through November 2024. The company has a new name, and a new branding partner for its 16 regional sports networks (RSNs), and Preschlack recently sat down with CNBC reporter Alex Sherman to talk about the price of the FanDuel Sports Network streaming service and other facets of the company’s future.

Key Details: Preschlack said that FanDuel Sports Network will stay at $20 per month for now, but lower price points could be tested.

Just as Disney announced some tremendous new streaming numbers, their plans for a new sports service are kaput! Find out more!

Usually, Disney and Warner Bros. are major rivals, especially in the current streaming wars. Disney has Disney+, while Warner Bros. owns HBO and Max, which are always competing for viewers. 

However, in a landscape that's constantly changing and the need for more subscribers, strange bedfellows can form. That means Disney and Warner Bros have forged a partnership that includes a Disney+/Max bundle. 

This was going to lead to a much bigger deal in Venu. The idea was for Disney, Fox and Warner Bros to launch a special stand-alone streamer dedicated completely to sports. This wouldn't be like ESPN+ with just live events; it would integrate programming from various cable channels, from ESPN to TBS, alongside documentaries and specials.

Venu was seemingly going full steam ahead with a hefty price tag of $42.99 per month,...

Directv is choosing not to pay a hefty licensing fee to get the games, leaving establishments with a tough choice.

Christmas Day is a great opportunity to spend time with friends and family, but there’s no doubt that it can get a little stifling. Many might want to sneak out to their favorite local watering hole or eatery to catch a little bit of the NFL Christmas action as the Kansas City Chiefs take on the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Baltimore Ravens face the Houston Texans. For the first time in the platform’s history these games will be streamed exclusively on Netflix. Unfortunately, according to new reporting from CNBC's Alex Sherman, many bars and restaurants aren’t going to have the games available at all.

Key Details: Most bars and restaurants get sports and other channels through Directv, which has declined to license the games from Netflix.

CNBC has sketched out an intriguing strategy the network hopes will have it getting bigger by sweating the small stuff.

The business-news outlet, backed by NBCUniversal, plans to launch a new unit devoted to creating content aimed at niches of its audience. The division will be led by Max Meyers, a veteran producer who has supervised programs including “Last Call,” “Squawk Box” and “Fast Money,” and who will take on the role of vice president and senior executive producer of strategic verticals and audience development. Meanwhile, CNBC will launch products aimed at coverage of wealth and women’s leadership, the first built around journalist Robert Frank and the second with senior media and technology correspondent Julia Boorstin. A sports-business vertical launched with Alex Sherman has already gained traction since its debut earlier this year.

Operating in an era when traditional TV viewers are prone to seek news and information from new,...

Pat McAfee, who joined ESPN in a blockbuster 2023 deal, bridled at the question of whether “journalistic standards” should apply to his show.

Appearing on a panel with other on-air talent during a media day hosted Wednesday by the Disney division at its Bristol, Ct campus, McAfee took exception to one reporter’s invocation of the phrase. The question appeared to be an effort to assess the settling-in process for all parties, and whether news-focus staffers had any concerns about the non-traditional setup for McAfee. Unlike conventional talent deals, the former NFL kicker’s wildly popular YouTube show was licensed to ESPN (for a reported $85 million). It continues to run on YouTube while blocks of it are also simulcast on ESPN and streamed on ESPN+.

“Define journalistic standards,” McAfee shot back at the reporter, CNBC’s Alex Sherman. Recognizing and correcting mistakes would be one aspect of it, Sherman ventured. The...