Early-access streaming rentals are a scam – here’s why

Many eons ago, the idea of early-access movie rentals would’ve sounded like paradise. Also known as “premium” video-on-demand (PVOD), what I’m talking about are movies that start streaming just a few days or weeks after they’ve left the theater. In some situations, you don’t even have to wait that long — as I write this, the biopic Michael is already on PVOD despite still showing in some theater chains. As a ’90s kid, I would’ve killed to be able to see something like Terminator 2 or The Matrix without waiting several months for the DVD or VHS release.