[stellar678]

Is it just me or did this seem completely inevitable and kind of on the cusp by 2002? We were building fileserver-based VOD services just to save our Internet connection from the torrenting masses in shared housing situations around this time.

This seems like a risky one to bet against, at least from a technical perspective.

I suppose it is true that it was still a pretty open question whether anyone would manage to negotiate licenses with the media producers to do VOD, but Bell doesn't even touch on that issue.

[iuyhgttg]

Technically do-able, but:

It could have easily been derailed the studios wanting to try and run the business themselves, ISPs who are also cable companies throttling it, national broadcasters lobbying to block it legally.

It also said profitable - I thought even Amazon wasn't profitable yet?

[leftnode]

Amazon has been profitable since 2001.

[metageek]

A quick google says that Netflix is profitable. I don't know if Netflix Instant would be if analyzed separately, though.

[JustinSeriously]

Even most of the original commentators, back in 02002, thought it was easily doable.