I’m old enough to remember when people wondered why they just couldn’t buy the channels they wanted. Instead of streaming services, people envisioned un-bundled cable packages.
And, I remember hearing all the reasons why that couldn’t happen. Perhaps there were even podcasts with very smart people explaining why not. It seems I recall a few.
While streaming may not be exactly what folks envisioned, it’s close enough and better! And the shift has been so gradual, that instead of opening it with the anticipation of a Christmas people, most folks yawned.
DVRs may soon be another casualty of technology evolution, as people transition from ‘time shifting’ what they watch from networks by storing a recorded copy in their home, to just bringing up whatever show whenever you want it, like how digital music libraries were short-lived, as bandwidth made it possible to stream music from wherever, whenever, mostly.