A very interesting article from 11/21/05 - Turn On. Tune In. Take Over.. It details the (r)evolution of television and technology. A section from the article, which is absolutely fascinating.

All of which leads to an enticing possibility: Let’s say that Joss Whedon, creator of Firefly, wanted to bring the series back to air. (Though “back to air” is a TV phrase now as anachronistically quaint as “switching the dial.”) Let’s say he found a million Firefly fans online—and, trust me, they’re not hiding—who were willing to pay, say, $39.99 each for a sixteen-episode season of Firefly. (Not an unreasonable price, given how many people pay about that amount for full seasons on DVD.) Suddenly, Joss Whedon’s got roughly $40 million to play with—and he doesn’t need a network. Or a time slot. Or advertisers. He can beam the damn shows right to your computer if he wants to.

ETA: Slashdot release a comprehensive article on Livejournal's Newest Failure and PR Nightmare. It is nice to have someone else track the whole fiasco.