HBO

==Branding==
The original HBO logo—used from the channel's November 8, 1972, launch until April 30, 1975—consisted of a minimalist [[marquee (sign)|marquee]] light array surrounding a left-adjusted "Home Box Office" nameplate, rendered in [[Capitalization|mixed-caps]], accompanied by a ticket stub image (the former and latter signifying the channel's initial film and event programming focus).

The first iteration of the current HBO [[wordmark|lettermark]], designed by then Time-Life [[art director]] Betty E. Brugger,<ref>{{cite news|title=Betty E. Brugger, 86|url=https://www.easthamptonstar.com/archive/betty-e-brugger-86|newspaper=The East Hampton Star|date=May 18, 2017|access-date=October 10, 2020}}</ref> was introduced on March 1, 1975; it consisted of bold, uppercase "HBO" text incorporating a [[Bullseye (target)|bullseye]] mark—derived from the [[Tuner (radio)#Television|tuning knobs]] found on then-current television set and cable converter box models—inside the cylindrical "O". Because of inadvertent consumer impressions of the name appearing as "HEO", as the 1975 design had the "O" obscure the "B"{{'}}s double-curve, marketing firm Bemis Balkind modified it into the current trimmer form; introduced in April 1980, it shifted the "O"—now attached to the “B”{{‘}}s full double-curve—"an eighth of an inch" rightward, and slightly widened the spacing of the lettering and bullseye mark.<ref name="Cablevision">{{cite web|title=New Network Look: Hairy, Fat|url=https://www.scribd.com/document/9252967/New-Network-Look-Hairy-Fat|periodical=CableVision|publisher=New York-Group|via=Scribd|pages=7, 10|date=June 7, 1982|access-date=September 28, 2020}}</ref> (The 1975 and 1980 versions were used concurrently in on-air identifications and certain network promos until the former was fully discontinued in June 1981.) The simplicity of the logo makes it fairly easy to duplicate, of which HBO has taken advantage over the years within its imaging; a proprietary typeface adapted from [[ITC Avant Garde]] (which, like the similar [[Kabel (typeface)|Kabel]], had previously been used in some on-air and print marketing dating to 1978) that featured bullseye-like glyphs within the 'D' and 'O' capitals was developed internally in 2008 as a logotype for HBO Sports (including the unit's boxing productions and, by 2012, ''Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel''), the linear HBO high-definition and VOD services, and was later used for the logotype for HBO Go.

[[File: HBO Feature Presentation (1983).jpeg|thumb|right|upright=1.20|Rotating logo segment from the "HBO in Space" feature presentation sequence, used from September 20, 1982, to October 31, 1997]]
The logo would become widely recognized through a program opening sequence, often nicknamed "HBO in Space", produced in late 1981 by New York City-based production firm [[Liberty Studios]] and used in some capacity from September 20, 1982, to October 31, 1997. (It replaced a series of six film-based animated "HBO Feature Movie" intros used since April 1979, which Canadian pay service [[Crave (TV network)|First Choice Superchannel]] later reused for its 1984–87 movie intros.)<ref>{{cite AV media|title=HBO Intro – Behind the Scenes|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=agS6ZXBrcng |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211222/agS6ZXBrcng |archive-date=2021-12-22 |url-status=live|via=YouTube|access-date=October 5, 2012}}{{cbignore}}</ref> The original 70-second version begins inside an apartment, where a man tunes a television set's converter box and sits down with his wife to watch HBO. (A variant that begins with a dark cloudscape fading into the city sequence replaced the early version in November 1983.) As the camera pans out of the apartment window, a continuous [[stop motion]] flight (filmed on a computer-controlled camera) occurs over a custom-built model cityscape and countryside set against a painted twilight [[cyclorama]]. After the camera pans skyward at the flight's end, a bursting "stargate" effect (made using two die-cut film slides) occurs, unveiling a [[Chrome plating|chrome-plated]], [[brass]] HBO logo that flies through a [[outer space|starfield]]. As the HBO "[[space station]]" rotates toward the "O", [[ROYGBIV|rainbow-hued]] light rays (created using a [[optical fiber|fiber optic]] lighting rig) encircle that letter's top side—sparkling to reveal its interior wall and a center axis in the bullseye mark area—and streak counter-clockwise inside the "O"{{'}}s inner wall, fading in a slide displaying the program presentation type in three-dimensional, partially [[underline]]d [[Block letters|block text]]—usually the "HBO Feature Presentation" card for theatrical movies, though varied title cards set mainly to custom end signatures of the accompanying theme music (including, among others, ''Standing Room Only'', "HBO Premiere Presentation", "HBO Special", ''On Location'' and "HBO Family Showcase") were used for original programs and weekend prime time films—before more light streaks sweep and shine across the text and create a sparkling fadeout. (An abbreviated version—shown during most non-prime-time programming until October 31, 1986, and thereafter for early-prime-time movie telecasts, aside from premieres and most weekend presentations—commenced from the starburst and the flight of the HBO "space station".)<ref name="yt-hbofp">{{cite AV media|title=HBO 1983 Opening Credits (HBO)|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i1NKoMNy5bY |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211222/i1NKoMNy5bY |archive-date=2021-12-22 |url-status=live|via=YouTube|date=February 22, 2008|access-date=October 5, 2012}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

Most variants of this sequence—except for the feature presentation, "Saturday Night Movie" and "Sunday Night Movie" versions—were discontinued on November 1, 1986. (In September 1993, the latter two versions were discontinued and the "Feature Presentation" variant was extended to all films aired in early prime time, with the full-length version being used for Saturday premieres and Tuesday re-broadcasts.) Variants of the intro are available on YouTube, including one—a previously unaired version including two children sitting with the aforementioned couple—uploaded to HBO's official YouTube channel; the sequence is also used as a movie introduction at the annual HBO [[Bryant Park]] Summer Film Festival (held since 1992, near HBO's now-former New York City headquarters), and a seldom-used "World Premiere Presentation" variant was featured in the intro of the 2019 HBO stand-up comedy special ''[[Dan Soder]]: Son of a Gary''.<ref name="yt-hbofp"/><ref name="medium-hbofp">{{cite web|title=HBO CELEBRATES STANDING AS THE Best Destination for Theatrical Films by Giving Beloved Saturday Night Feature Intro an Update|url=https://medium.com/warnermediaent/hbo-gives-beloved-saturday-night-feature-intro-an-update-e74822a28e3f|author=Time Warner|website=Medium|date=March 3, 2017|access-date=June 22, 2020}}</ref> The twelve-note musical signature of the sequence's orchestral fanfare—originally composed for [[Score Productions]] by Ferdinand Jay Smith III of Jay Advertising, who adapted the theme from the Scherzo movement of [[Antonín Dvořák]]'s [[Symphony No. 9 (Dvořák)|Ninth Symphony]]—eventually became the network's [[sound trademark|audio logo]] in November 1997, being styled in various arrangements (including [[French horn|horns]], guitar and piano, and sometimes arranged as an abridged nine-note variant) within HBO's programming bumpers and network IDs since then. (An extended [[pop rock]] version of the theme, alternately titled "Fantasy", was released as both instrumental and lyrical tracks on Smith's 1985 album "Music Made for Television".<ref>{{cite web|title=Ferdinand Jay – Music Made for Television|url=https://www.discogs.com/Ferdinand-Jay-Music-Made-for-Television/release/15973643|website=Discogs|year=1985 |access-date=April 5, 2021}}</ref>)

Another well-known HBO program opener, designed by [[Pacific Data Images]] in conjunction with the network and commonly nicknamed "Neon Lights", began non-prime-time movie presentations from November 1, 1986, to October 31, 1997. The sequence, set to a synth and electric guitar theme, begins with a rotation shot of a heliotrope HBO logo on a film strip as blue, green, and pink light rays penetrate it and four radiating CGI slots; one ray then reaches a field of varied-color spheres that zoom outward to reveal a light purple HBO logo, which is overlaid by a cursive magenta "Movie" script against a black and purple sphere-dotted background.<ref>{{cite AV media|title=HBO Movie Intro (1986–1997) [1080p60 VHS]|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZeZ5ralwP0 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211222/MZeZ5ralwP0 |archive-date=2021-12-22 |url-status=live|via=YouTube|date=September 6, 2018|access-date=September 1, 2019}}{{cbignore}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |title=Cablecastings: Facelift |periodical=Broadcasting |page=14 |date=September 29, 1986}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |title=New HBO on-air look |periodical=Television/Radio Age |page=88 |date=October 27, 1986}}</ref>

A [[Computer-generated imagery|CGI]] feature presentation bumper (designed by Pittard Sullivan) harkening to the 1982 sequence was used from November 5, 1999, to April 1, 2011. (The sequence replaced a series of six-second feature presentation bumpers designed by Telezign—also used in some capacity as ID bumpers until November 4, 1999—for an accompanying imaging package introduced on November 1, 1997, which showed the HBO logo in different situations/settings—such as appearing as a fish in water, as a celebrity arriving at a film premiere in a [[limousine]], and as a large neon sign outlining the roof of a skyscraper.)<ref>{{cite magazine |title=HBO burnishes brand |author=Donna Petrozello |periodical=Broadcasting & Cable |page=54 |date=October 27, 1997}}<br />{{cite magazine |title=HBO burnishes brand |author=Donna Petrozello |periodical=Broadcasting & Cable |page=56 |date=October 27, 1997}}</ref><ref>{{cite AV media|title=Full HBO Rebrand made by Telezign – 1997|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0loaY1Ygtm4 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211222/0loaY1Ygtm4 |archive-date=2021-12-22 |url-status=live|via=YouTube|date=October 23, 2020|access-date=December 14, 2020}}{{cbignore}}</ref> It commenced outside a movie theater facade (displaying the HBO logo and the words "Feature Presentation" on the marquee), leading into a trek across countryside road, snowy mountain cliffside, and desert settings—respectively passing under an [[Electric power transmission|electrical transmission tower]] and an above-ground tunnel, and through a [[Tank truck|tank trailer cylinder]] shaped in each letter of the HBO lettermark; a metropolitan neighborhood follows, culminating in a flying leap above a bridge between two skyscrapers, and a slower-speed panning shot above an HBO-lettermark-shaped lake outlined by spotlights before a 3D animation of the "Feature Presentation" text forms. (An abbreviated variant that preceded movies aired outside of weekend prime time excerpts the footage following the skyscraper leap.)<ref>{{cite AV media|title=HBO Feature Presentation: 1999 version|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KgdnknJuB74 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211222/KgdnknJuB74 |archive-date=2021-12-22 |url-status=live|via=YouTube|date=February 2, 2009|access-date=October 5, 2012}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

[[File: HBO Movie Presentation (2017).png|thumb|right|upright=1.20|End card from "HBO City" feature presentation sequence, used since March 4, 2017. Bylines appearing beneath the logo differ by channel and daypart: "Movie Premiere" (for Saturday film premieres on the main channel), "Movie Presentation" (used by most HBO channels, except HBO Family, as a generic movie bumper), and "Presentación de Película" (for movies shown on HBO Latino).]]
Another sequence paying homage to the 1982 opening—designed by Imaginary Forces, and accompanied by a Smith-derived theme arranged by Man Made Music—debuted on March 4, 2017. (It replaced a shorter, minimalist intro based around cascading screenshots from theatrical films in HBO's program library that were introduced in April 2014—one of two brief sequences by Viewpoint Creative used between April 2, 2011, and March 3, 2017, that were modeled on the network's graphical imaging, preceded by a 2011–14 sequence designed by Viewpoint contractor Jesse Vartanian that centered on a 4:1 [[aurora]] landscape.)<ref>{{cite web|title=HBO Feature Presentation|url=http://www.jvarta.com/hbo-feature-presentation/|website=Jesse Vartanian|access-date=October 22, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160803085507/http://www.jvarta.com/hbo-feature-presentation/|archive-date=August 3, 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=HBO BRANDING & PROMOTION MOTION GRAPHICS|url=https://kielydesign.com/portfolio/hbo-branding-promotion-graphics/|website=Kiely Design|date=May 2017 |access-date=June 30, 2020}}</ref> The live-action/CGI sequence, set inside a [[metropolis]] within the HBO letterforms, features groups of people (respectively a married couple, a pair of teenage siblings watching via [[tablet computer|tablet]] in their bedroom, a family with four children, and a group of adult friends) gathering in their homes to watch an HBO movie; the sequence's second and third living room segments include brief glimpses of the HBO "space station" segment from the 1982 intro. (The full 49-second version is used only for Saturday movie premieres; an eight-second variant—beginning at the reveal of the HBO metropolis letterform—has been used for most film presentations since September 2018. HBO Max has used a four-second variant to open films on its main HBO content portal since it launched in May 2020.)<ref>{{cite web|title=HBO 2017 Feature Presentation Open|url=https://www.imaginaryforces.com/work/hbo-2017-feature-presentation-open|author=Imaginary Forces|access-date=March 14, 2017|archive-date=March 15, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170315001008/https://www.imaginaryforces.com/work/hbo-2017-feature-presentation-open|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=The World of Man Made: HBO Feature Presentation|url=https://www.manmademusic.com/work/hbo-feature-presentations|website=Man Made Music|access-date=June 22, 2020|archive-date=June 23, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200623033207/https://www.manmademusic.com/work/hbo-feature-presentations|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="medium-hbofp"/><ref>{{cite magazine|title=HBO updates Feature Presentation intro with a nostalgic twist|url=https://ew.com/tv/2017/03/03/hbo-feature-presentation-intro-update/|author=Rachel DeSantis|magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]]|date=March 3, 2017|access-date=June 22, 2020}}</ref>

Unlike other pay television networks (including the multiplex channels of sister channel Cinemax), HBO does not feature in-program [[digital on-screen graphic|on-screen logo bugs]] on its main feed and multiplex channels; however, until their respective "The Works"-era logos were discontinued in April 2014, channel-specific on-screen bugs were previously shown during promotional breaks between programs on the six thematic HBO multiplex channels.<ref>HBO on-air programming</ref>

===Network slogans===
''Source:''<ref>{{cite AV media|title=YouTube clip of HBO slogans|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cVc3DPh-2iQ|via=YouTube|access-date=October 5, 2012}}</ref>
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* '''1972–1975:''' "This is HBO, the Home Box Office. Premium Subscription Television from Time-Life."
* '''1975–1976:''' "Different and First"
* '''1976–1978:''' "The Great Entertainment Alternative"
* '''1978–1979:''' "HBO is Something Else"/"The Best Seat in the House"<ref>{{cite news|title=Advertising|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1978/01/17/archives/advertising-telling-texas-what-hbo-is-hall-levine-on-its-own-y-r.html|author=Philip H. Dougherty|newspaper=The New York Times|date=January 17, 1978|access-date=October 6, 2020}}</ref>
* '''1979–1981:''' "HBO People Don't Miss Out"<ref>Various publications from 1980 including ''[[People (magazine)|People]]'', ''[[TV Guide]]'' as well as YouTube. Retrieved December 12, 2008.</ref>
* '''1981–1983:''' "Great Movies Are Just the Beginning."<ref>{{cite news|title=THE CABLE-TV SCRAMBLE|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1981/12/23/arts/the-cable-tv-scramble.html|author=Tony Schwartz|newspaper=The New York Times|date=December 23, 1981|access-date=July 17, 2020}}</ref>
* '''1981–1985:''' "America's Leading Pay TV Network"
* '''1983–1985:''' "There's No Place Like HBO"<ref>{{cite AV media|title=Home Box Office – No Place Like HBO (1983)|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cVc3DPh-2iQ|via=YouTube|access-date=October 5, 2012}}</ref>
* '''May–November 1985:''' "Make the Magic Shine" (image theme based on "[[This Is My Night]]" by [[Chaka Khan]])<ref>{{cite AV media|title=HBO Ad – Make The Magic Shine (1985)|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vIJjlAgcza4 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211222/vIJjlAgcza4 |archive-date=2021-12-22 |url-status=live|via=YouTube|access-date=December 22, 2020}}{{cbignore}}</ref>
* '''1985–1988:''' "Nobody Brings It Home Like HBO"<ref>{{cite AV media|title=November 1985 HBO promos|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5SzQPa3ggCA|via=YouTube|access-date=October 5, 2012}}{{cbignore}}{{Dead YouTube link|date=February 2022}}</ref>
* '''1988–1991:''' "The Best Time on TV" (general slogan); "The Best Movies" (promotional slogan for movies)
* '''1988–1993:''' "We're Talkin' Serious Comedy Here" (promotional slogan for comedy specials)
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* '''1989–1991:''' "Simply The Best" ("[[The Best (song)#Tina Turner version|The Best]]" by [[Tina Turner]] was used as the image theme)
* '''1991–1993:''' "It Could Only Happen Here"
* '''1993–1995:''' "Just You Wait"<ref>{{cite AV media|title=January 26, 1993 HBO Free Preview promos|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lC39fybHG74 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211222/lC39fybHG74 |archive-date=2021-12-22 |url-status=live|via=YouTube|access-date=August 25, 2012}}{{cbignore}}</ref>
* '''1994–1996:''' "Comedy: It's an HBO Thing" (promotional slogan for comedy specials)
* '''1995–1996:''' "Something Special's On"<ref>{{cite AV media|title=HBO Something Special's on Falling TV Commercial (1996)|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TIGXyQRLIHI |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211222/TIGXyQRLIHI |archive-date=2021-12-22 |url-status=live|via=YouTube|access-date=October 5, 2012}}{{cbignore}}</ref>
* '''1996–2009:''' "It's Not TV. It's HBO."<ref>{{cite AV media|title=HBO 2002 Bumper It's not TV, It's HBO|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FEjnkPkPFzY|via=YouTube|date=July 9, 2008|access-date=October 5, 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151226150705/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FEjnkPkPFzY|archive-date=December 26, 2015}}</ref>
* '''2006–2009:''' "Get More" (slogan for the HBO website)
* '''2009–2011:''' "It's More Than You Imagined. It's HBO."
* '''2010–2011:''' "This is HBO." (only used for IDs)
* '''2011–2014:''' "It's HBO."
* '''2014–2017:''' "So Original"
* '''2017–2020:''' "It's What Connects Us"
* '''2020–present:''' "There's More to Discover"
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