[obsurveyor]

This is a very naive view of the issue. There are many hands in the production of a film and many rights associated with are assigned at the time it was made, screening rights, distribution rights, periods for when rights expire, etc. When new technology, such as streaming on computers, comes about, the licensing of new rights needs to be established all over again with all the rights holders. A single holder that can't be contacted or established(due to death, closure, acquisition, etc) can effectively put any new licensing into limbo.

This isn't even getting into exclusivity licensing that the studios seem to be real keen on doing with Netflix, Amazon, Crackle, VUDU and a jillion other streaming services. You know those shows that are branded "Netflix Original" on Netflix? Those aren't literally made by Netflix, they've just paid for some/all of the production and licensed them exclusively for some period of time. They're still produced by all the same studios that have been producing shows and movies for years.