I'm having a hard time coming up with the data to confirm this theory but 1986/1987 seems to me to be the peak of both VHS sales and the bottom of VCR prices.

I'm having a hard time coming up with the data to confirm this theory but 1986/1987 seems to me to be the peak of both VHS sales and the bottom of VCR prices. I assume from that many studios had to come up with their first licensing schemes for movies "for home use" (contrary to movie theater and broadcast use), which could potentially still apply to (and restrict) streaming. Once again, this is my personal hypothesis (and I'd be happy to see some data to support or contradict it).