Streaming services have completely given up on creative names

Welcome to the scourge of the streaming “+.”

If you have experience coming up with clever brand names, the major media conglomerates of the world need you.

Streaming services have completely given up on creative names

CBS All Access is rebranding as… *drumroll*… Paramount+.

Its reason for switching to the Paramount moniker makes sense: Paramount is more recognizable than CBS overseas.

But that “+” sign isn’t exactly the most creative branding. In fact, it’s pure mimicry: Disney+, Apple TV+, ESPN+, BET+… (OK, we admit it — we’ve thought about a Hustle+…)

We’re just circling back to basic addition

HBO Max just barely gets a pass here, but we’ll continue to side-eye them.

Streaming represents the future of these businesses, so one would think that their names would be a bit spicier.

But they’re all basically the same

  • Quartz identified a few categories, including the pervasive “Now” (Sundance Now, Epix Now, HBO Now).
  • Tubi and Quibi sound like they could also be toothbrush startups.
  • Mubi, Vudu, and Fubo TV are trying to take over the “Hulu, but different” linguistic lane.

We’re looking forward to the chaos agent that enters the streaming wars with a minus sign in its name.

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