Max is going back to its roots—again. Warner Bros. Discovery revealed this week that its flagship streaming platform will once more be called HBO Max, a branding pivot that reintroduces the powerhouse name that has come to define prestige TV, NBCNews reports.

The announcement, made during WBD’s upfront presentation in New York, marks yet another chapter in the service’s identity saga. Since its early streaming experiments in 2010, HBO’s digital presence has gone through HBO Go, HBO Now, HBO Max, Max, and now back to HBO Max. It’s a naming carousel that has often left users dizzy.

This time, however, WBD is leaning into the chaos with a wink. One social media post featured a pigeon atop the WB water tower, white smoke swirling beside it—playfully mimicking the Vatican’s selection of a new pope. Another meme used the triple-Superman-pointing gag, a sly riff on the iconic Spider-Man image.

Casey Bloys, chairman and CEO of HBO and Max content, stood firm behind the rebrand. “HBO Max far better represents our current consumer proposition,” he said, adding that the platform’s content remains “worth paying for.”

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Internally, the shift signals a quiet retreat from a broader strategy. Dropping “HBO” last year was an effort to compete more directly with platforms like Netflix, offering a buffet of content beyond prestige dramas. But the gamble didn’t pay off the way WBD hoped.

“Returning the HBO brand into HBO Max will further drive the service forward,” the company said in a statement, adding that consumer data showed audiences still associate HBO with standout storytelling and high-quality programming.

Despite the name shuffle, WBD's streaming performance has been strong. Over the past year, the company added 22 million subscribers, with profitability in the division improving by nearly $3 billion in two years. CEO David Zaslav cited the brand’s credibility as a cornerstone of that growth. “HBO represents the highest quality in media,” he said. “Bringing it back accelerates everything.”

In short, WBD is done pretending it’s Netflix. Instead, it’s doubling down on what made it distinct in the first place.