[YouTube - Link]
Video Mailbox was a precursor to Netflix that began in 1987, but ended before it hit the big time.
Video Mailbox was created by Peter A. Bobley in the late 1980’s! Rather than DVDs, they used VHS tapes, but the business model was the same: you pay a monthly subscription fee, you pick a queue of movies, and then you watch them, return them, and repeat the cycle!
Shaktronics provides some great links if you're interested in investigating further, including its history and a comment thread that ostensibly features a comment from Video Mailbox's creator.
Via Shaktronics
Apple sorta ran into the same thing with their Mac Vs PC commercials where everyone loved PC, who had all the good lines.