All roads lead to cable

<figure> <img alt="" data-caption="" data-portal-copyright="AFP via Getty Images" data-has-syndication-rights="1" src="https://platform.theverge.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/gettyimages-2193473385.jpg?quality=90&#038;strip=all&#038;crop=0,0,100,100" /> <figcaption> </figcaption> </figure> <p class="wp-block-paragraph"><em>This is </em><a href="https://www.theverge.com/the-stepback-newsletter">The Stepback</a>,<em> a weekly newsletter breaking down one essential story from the tech world. For more on streaming platforms, FAST channels, and the future of entertainment, <a href="https://www.theverge.com/authors/charles-pulliam-moore" data-type="link" data-id="https://www.theverge.com/authors/charles-pulliam-moore">follow Charles Pulliam-Moore</a>.</em> The Stepback<em> arrives in our subscribers' inboxes at 8AM ET. Opt in for </em>The Stepback<em> <a href="https://www.theverge.com/newsletters">here</a>.</em></p> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">How it started</h2> <p class="wp-block-paragraph">Before Netflix fully committed to becoming a streaming service and <a href="https://www.theverge.com/23883662/netflix-dvd-shutdown-complex-tech-packaging-mail">leaving DVDs behind</a>, the company experimented with the idea of <a href="https://www.vox.com/2017/9/13/16288364/streampunks-book-excerpt-youtube-netflix-pivot-video">giving its subscribers a physical box</a> that could access high-resolution digital copies of movies. Films would have been downloaded to the box in the evening and become available to users the next day. But …</p> <p><a href="https://www.theverge.com/column/997843/streamers-cable-fast-channels">Read the full story at The Verge.</a></p>