Warner Bros. Discovery's rebranding of HBO Max highlights the merger's failure to reach its original goal.

After two years as Max, HBO Max is once again becoming HBO Max. It joins a long line of brand reversals that demonstrate the power of established brand equity.

The market has spoken here, and quality is the real differentiator.” To put it more plainly: The basic assumption behind the Max branding, that viewers would flock to Discovery’s big buckets of unscripted dross over the decades of quality material in HBO and other Warner Bros.