Fast Forward

The Birth of Video Streaming, Media's Wild Child

By: Craig Leddy

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Hardcover | 23 September 2025

At a Glance

Hardcover
242 Pages

Dimensions(cm)
22.86 x 15.24 x 1.75

Hardcover

$49.45

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Long before Netflix, Amazon, and YouTube redefined entertainment, a team of innovators embarked on a groundbreaking mission: to create on-demand movie streaming, interactive shopping, and virtual gaming through the visionary concept of interactive television. Spearheaded by Time Warner CEO Jerry Levin, the ambitious Full Service Network (FSN) sought to outpace media moguls, including cable pioneer John Malone and Microsoft's Bill Gates, in a race for digital dominance.

In 1994 the developers risked it all to unveil the first-ever on-demand movies to a global press corps. Behind the scenes, their cutting-edge network teetered on the brink of collapse, threatening a public humiliation.

In Fast Forward: The Birth of Video Streaming, Media's Wild Child, renowned business journalist and television expert Craig Leddy reveals this thrilling story of innovation, teamwork, and resilience amid a backdrop of corporate hubris and greed. With unparalleled insight, Leddy connects the trailblazing efforts of the early digital pioneers to the streaming revolution that still is disrupting entertainment and culture. Their successes, failures, and lessons offer timeless wisdom for navigating today's digital business landscape.

Industry Reviews

"Fast Forward is a must-read for anybody interested in the evolution of digital TV, broadband, and streaming video. Craig Leddy's rich and deep industry research and knowledge is unparalleled."-Bob Benya, former president and CEO, iN DEMAND, and VP and marketing, FSN

"Fast Forward should be on the reading list of all those interested in a better understanding of the digital distribution technology achievements that produced what we have today, as well as a primer on the dynamic processes involved in all cutting-edge development projects."-Tom Feige, former division president, Time Warner Cable, and president, FSN

"What a story! Both the crazy project itself and the subsequent convergence of technology, media supply chain, content creation, user consumption behaviors, etc., etc."-John Callahan, streaming software and product development consultant, former software manager, FSN

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Fast Forward

The Birth of Video Streaming, Media's Wild Child

At a Glance

Hardcover

Industry Reviews

Shipping

How to return your order

Defective items

You Can Find This Book In

More in Media, Entertainment, Information & Communication Industries

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A story of where I used to work

Duty to Warn

Bondi Terror

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Save the Cat! Writes a Novel

The Last Book On Novel Writing You'll Ever Need

Invisible Women

Exposing Data Bias in a World Designed for Men

The Bookseller at the End of the World

Manufacturing Consent

The Political Economy of the Mass Media

Modern Engineering Mathematics

6th Edition

Black Witness

Shortlisted for the 2025 Stella Prize

The Surge

The Race Against the Most Destructive Force in Nature

Manufacturing Consent

The Political Economy of the Mass Media

Acid for the Children

Autobiography of Flea, the Red Hot Chili Peppers Legend

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas : A Savage Journey to the Heart of the American Dream

Harper Perennial Modern Classics

Measure What Matters

The Simple Idea that Drives 10x Growth

Cher

The Memoir, Part One: The global number 1 bestseller

Global Media

Key Ideas in Media and Cultural Studies

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Mindset

The New Psychology of Success

Paul Weller: Dancing Through the Fire

The Authorised Oral History: The Sunday Times Bestseller

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Of Nooses, Fights, Narratives, and Movement Building

The Jena 6

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Hustlers in the Ivory Tower

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