From The Archives

From the Archives revisits NHK’s ambitious push for 8K at IBC, where its Super Hi-Vision demos wowed crowds with unmatched clarity and immersive audio. Despite delivering on the tech—broadcasting 8K during the Tokyo Olympics—consumer demand, bandwidth constraints, and content scarcity…

From the Archives revisits Vessel, the ambitious 2015 startup from Hulu’s Jason Kilar and Richard Tom that aimed to challenge YouTube with a premium “early access” model for creator content. Despite raising $132 million, offering creators vastly better revenue splits,…

From the Archives revisits the rise and fall of Struum, a streaming startup launched in 2020 that tried to tackle subscription fatigue with a credit-based, ClassPass-style model. Backed by Disney and Discovery vets and investors like Michael Eisner, Struum built…

From the Archives revisits Hulu’s pioneering rise and gradual sunset as it fully merges into Disney+ by 2026. Launched in 2007 as a network-backed response to piracy and cord-cutting, Hulu set the standard for ad-supported streaming, introduced a hybrid subscription…

From the Archives revisits how Disney’s Star brand was once positioned as a bold solution for global streaming expansion, only to be phased out in 2025 in favor of Hulu. Launched in 2021, Star aimed to localize general entertainment outside…

From the Archives revisits Metacafe’s rise as a short-form video pioneer that predated YouTube, offering one of the first creator monetization programs with its Producer Rewards. At its peak, it ranked among the top global video platforms and forged early…

From the Archives revisits DramaFever, the pioneering U.S. platform that brought Asian dramas to a global audience through a freemium model and strategic syndication. With over 15,000 licensed episodes and original co-productions, it played a key role in the Korean…

From the Archives revisits Shomi, a Canadian streaming JV between Rogers and Shaw that launched in 2014 to compete with Netflix. Despite strong content and a curated approach, Shomi faltered due to limited initial access, regulatory hurdles, and market timing,…

From the Archives revisits Crackle, Sony’s early AVOD pioneer that began as Grouper. While it helped lay the groundwork for today’s FAST and ad-supported streaming models, Crackle ultimately faltered due to strategy shifts, constant rebrands, and shaky finances—shutting down in…

From the Archives revisits how Amazon used Freevee to test and scale its ad-supported streaming ambitions before folding it into Prime Video. Launched in 2019 and rebranded multiple times, Freevee built a solid audience and slate of originals but never…