Disney putting its exclusives on Netflix proves we’ve reached the most ridiculous stage of streaming yet

We cut the cord years ago because streaming promised us a cheaper, simpler way to watch TV shows and movies. But as prices continue to rise and the industry slowly goes back to where it began, it’s starting to look a lot like an ouroboros – the snake eating its own tail.

We’ve gone full circle in the worst way possible, and this trend only continues. In a recent report, Variety revealed a new agreement that will see Disney Entertainment license a variety of its content to Netflix. 

Yes, the two streaming rivals will now be collaborating in a bid to drive viewership for Netflix and promotion for the House of Mouse. The upcoming titles making the journey across include 20th Century Studios’ Ice Age films, which will be available on Netflix from October 4. 

But perhaps the biggest surprise is that the first two seasons of Percy Jackson and the Olympians, a Disney+ original series, will also be making the journey over from the same date, as part of the promo window ahead of season 3. 

Remember when the entire point of Disney+ was that it stopped giving Netflix its stuff? Well, six years into the streaming wars, and the House of Mouse is now putting some of it back. 

Streaming is basically becoming cable 2.0

To understand how ridiculous this all is, we need to remember what made streaming so great in the first place. First and foremost was the convenience of it all. Netflix made it so that we didn’t have to wait a week for a new episode. We could binge-watch our new favourite show from anywhere, anytime. 

After seeing how successful Netflix was, the other studios followed suit with the launch of Hulu, Prime Video, Paramount+, Disney+, Apple TV, HBO Max – the list goes on. And with every new platform came another library of content. 

Shows and movies that had once been clumped together were split between rival services. Studios held onto their biggest titles to demonstrate the value of their platform. 

Instead of paying one company for hundreds of channels we didn’t necessarily want, we were suddenly paying half a dozen companies for individual libraries we didn’t necessarily want.

This might not have been such a problem if they’d remained cheap (spoiler: they haven’t). Remember when Netflix used to say “Love is sharing a password?” Yeah, that feels like a distant memory after its 2023 password sharing crackdown. 

Love is sharing a password.

— Netflix (@netflix) March 10, 2017

And it’s not just the biggest streaming service in the world. Price hikes, more ads, inexplicable cancellations and lower quality content contribute to what’s now known as ‘streamflation’. And I know I’m not alone in being sick of it.

Deloitte’s 2026 Digital Media Trends report found that around 40 percent of Americans have cut back on streaming services in the last three months because of financial concerns.

The irony is that once you add up all of the platforms needed to watch the titles you actually enjoy, streaming starts looking a lot like the expensive cable package we’d replaced it with.

Especially as the solution now seems to be bundling subscriptions together. Just last month, Disney raised the price of its Disney+ Premium and Hulu Premium – the plans without ads – from $18.99 to $21.49 per month. 

As Variety pointed out at the time, “The pricing strategy is clearly aimed at pushing consumers toward bundles.” To get the premium packages together, that’ll set you back $21.99 a month – just a fraction more of what it costs to pay for one separately. 

Then there are the endless mergers, the latest being Paramount’s $110 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery. Rather than merging them into one, the newly-formed company will reportedly push for a Paramount+ and HBO Max bundle. Again, ouroboros behaviour. 

DVDs are making sense again

Not to out myself, but I’m a millennial. I spent my twenties watching DVDs become obsolete. I ditched shelves full of plastic boxes because streamers promised me I wouldn’t need them anymore.

If I’d known where it would lead us, I certainly wouldn’t have gotten rid of my VHS collection or so many of my DVDs (not the special ones, obviously – 28 Days Later special edition is going nowhere). 

But now I’m joining so many other film and TV lovers right now in building back up my physical media collection. The benefits are screamingly obvious now: You pay once. You own it. Nobody removes it next month. You don’t need to Google which platform currently has it. It doesn’t suddenly have ads. 

The stats speak for themselves, with Gen Z leading the charge on physical media growth. According to the Digital Entertainment Group, 4K Blu-ray sales in particular are doing well, with a 12% rise in the US in 2025 compared to 2024. 

Start buying old physical media now

— Airrr (@Airtorena) October 6, 2026

We’re far from a world where DVDs and other formats will replace streaming services for good, and maybe it will get easier again in the future. And I’m not cutting the digital cord just yet. But for now, I will – like so many others – continue cutting back on streaming spending out of necessity. 

And I’ll continue to build that physical collection alongside it, just like I did as a teen. As it turns out, I’m eating my own tail too. 

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Featured image credit: Disney/Netflix