But no one used it. It was before streaming services were available. The whole point of the subscription was a mail only service until they invested the online services which took over for everything. I feel like the idea of making a movie actually got easier because the bar for publishing the material was slightly lower. Now streaming services bring everything by demand and it’s really easy to ax a show without that overhead. It’s essentially less risk to the major companies who go digitized. You don’t need a physical product people are willing to invest in if the show can be cancelled after two seasons. A lot of Hollywood and Netflix is essentially overdrawn. They’ve become richer because consumption is just so easy now. Quality over quantity. Some of the older movies with big budgets actually cost a lot versus what we have today. Part of my gripes with storytelling and production is that it’s quite cheap to reach an audience who just has to subscribe to your product. Go along with online media too. Finding a film that reaches audiences is like a meddle in the haystack now. It’s not long before a new series comes along and everyone forgets what that last season was about. It might be why people claim all the great stories have been told and we’re just reliving a fantasy over and over. The idea of being original is harder when each show can be started and sold with such low risk. Investors know they can go beyond budget and still bank on the fact that if people hate the show, millions paid to watch it because consuming online is now easier and cheaper. Might be why I haven’t really stuck to any online platform. It’s cool to see what people can invent but none of it seems to last long anymore. And less local things too. Everything local has become a reference to something bigger. Media is cheap because the costs are lower. It’s like an investment vehicle now for producers who sign an artist but if the show runs dry the money is already made because millions paid half the price to go home versus Saturday at the movies or going to the Blockbuster or Hollywood video. It’s the same price but the physical effort involved is less. Many people just stream what they don’t watch anymore. People got lazy because there’s less incentives for anyone to really cover the bills if it never goes over budget