Is this the final state of attempting to maximize profits? It feels like it's converging back towards the cable model [0]. Especially now with ad-supported streaming plans on Hulu [1] and increasingly more and more service exclusives [2] (same site as OP).

Streaming services are slowly but surely becoming cable "Channels"/"Packages" now, and of course that's going to increase piracy - we've seen it happen before. If you make something people want, but make it overly expensive or inconvenient to consume, piracy is an attractive (albeit morally grey) alternative for many.

Sure you can buy the disk set for whatever shows you like and skip out on the streaming services, but that in itself comes with a level of inconvenience (and cost) - why use physical disks when you can just download the content, share on a NAS/Plex server, and have it on any device? Once you've made it more inconvenient than people are used to, you've again made piracy an option.

I wonder when we'll start seeing bundles of streaming services for a single price!

[0]: https://www.itproportal.com/features/is-streaming-in-danger-...

[1]: https://help.hulu.com/s/article/how-much-does-hulu-cost?lang...

[2]: https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20190627/11202942488/strea...