And audiences are feeling the fatigue. Subscription hopping (“I’ll get Max for Dune , then cancel for Apple for Severance ”) has replaced channel surfing. Loyalty is dead. What remains is a transactional, high-stakes romance between viewer and platform, renewed month by month.

Exclusive deals often allow creators more freedom and higher budgets. This results in prestige media that pushes the boundaries of storytelling, which in turn garners awards and critical acclaim, further cementing its place in popular media.