The streaming bundle unbundled itself into 13 micro-bundles, and somehow we’re back to paying per title. Netflix launched to kill rental fees. Then every studio decided they needed their own streaming service. Disney pulled Marvel. NBC pulled The Office. Warner pulled Friends. Each extraction raised your monthly bill and shrank your library. Now you’re paying $180/month for the privilege of not having the movie you want. The $2.99 rental is the quiet admission that the streaming model failed its original promise. The content owners realized they make more money fragmenting than aggregating. So they fragmented. The customer who pays for 13 services isn’t loyal. They’re trapped. Canceling any one means losing access to that one show their kid watches or that one movie they rewatch yearly. The switching cost isn’t price. It’s emotional hostage-taking. And the $2.99 rental? That’s the streaming companies selling you back the convenience they took away.