Case file: a category that formed
Why did early internet TV like Pseudo.com fail, and when did online video become viable?
Formed since 2026-10-25 · ledger #50
Broadband passed 17 per 100 in 2005, the year YouTube launched.
Short answer
Pseudo.com (1993) ran internet TV channels in the late 1990s; its parent went bankrupt after the dot-com crash and its assets were sold in 2001. Most US homes were still on dial-up. YouTube (2005) launched as broadband passed 17 lines per 100 people and browser video (Flash) worked without a download; Google bought it in 2006 for $1.65B.
- Killing constraint
- Broadband and in-browser video
E2 Bandwidth / connectivity - Crossing
- 2005
US broadband reaches 17 per 100 (World Bank); Flash video plays in the browser. - Who won
- YouTube
founded 2005
Video over dial-up was a postage stamp that buffered; it needed broadband and a player that just worked.
The metric that moved
Fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people, United States (ITU via World Bank)
2000 2.51 per 100 → 2024 38.86 per 100 (15.5× better for the category)
Live series from World Bank Open Data, refreshed by the weekly job, last fetched 2026-10-26.
Data table
| Date | Fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people, United States (ITU via World Bank) |
|---|---|
| 2024 | 38.86 per 100 |
| 2023 | 38.09 per 100 |
| 2022 | 37.49 per 100 |
| 2021 | 37.01 per 100 |
| 2020 | 35.72 per 100 |
| 2019 | 33.84 per 100 |
| 2018 | 33.06 per 100 |
| 2017 | 32.57 per 100 |
| 2016 | 32.11 per 100 |
| 2015 | 31.34 per 100 |
| 2014 | 30.27 per 100 |
| 2013 | 30 per 100 |
| 2012 | 29.17 per 100 |
| 2011 | 28.12 per 100 |
| 2010 | 27.17 per 100 |
| 2009 | 25.97 per 100 |
| 2008 | 25.29 per 100 |
| 2007 | 23.76 per 100 |
| 2006 | 20.16 per 100 |
| 2005 | 17.3 per 100 |
| 2004 | 12.76 per 100 |
| 2003 | 9.57 per 100 |
| 2002 | 6.93 per 100 |
| 2001 | 4.5 per 100 |
| 2000 | 2.51 per 100 |
| 1999 | 0.987 per 100 |
| 1998 | 0.256 per 100 |
Graveyard
Companies that died proving people wanted this. Capital shown where it was disclosed.
| Company | Years | Capital | How it died | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pseudo.com | 1993–2001 | — | Parent company went bankrupt after the dot-com crash; assets sold to INTV in 2001 | source M |
Who won once the constraint crossed
- YouTube (founded 2005) — acquired by Google for $1.65B in 2006 source