The middle of this 16-year cycle saw the "Streaming Wars" reach a fever pitch. Legacy media companies—Disney, Warner Bros., and NBCUniversal—pulled their content from third-party platforms to launch Disney+, HBO Max (now Max), and Peacock. This shift led to the "Peak TV" era, characterized by an unprecedented volume of high-budget, cinematic-quality scripted content delivered directly to our pockets and living rooms. The Democratization of Content: From YouTube to TikTok