Still calling it HBO Max would have tainted the brand

Is there an HBO left that isn't Max? It isn't as though I can stream the Good HBO sans the Bad reality tv crap.

Which also tells you what they think of customers

I get HBO through AT&T as a perk. I don't subscribe to it independently. Its possible that someone at HBO noticed the bulk of their user base has some kind of arrangement like this and thinks just drawing down revenue from these default subscriptions is preferable to chasing new user sign-ups through attractive content and salesmanship.