Witness

Before streaming and catch-up TV, owning a video recorder was one of the only ways to watch on-demand entertainment. In 1975 Sony launched Betamax with its half-inch-wide tape capable of recording 60 minutes of television. It was the length of most American shows - the perfect run-time. But in 1977, JVC released its VHS: it was bigger and bulkier, but capable of taping a full two-hour movie. That extra time turned out to be a game-changer, offering viewers more choice, more flexibility, and ultimately, more power.Johnny I’Anson speaks to industry veteran Marc Wielage, who watched it all unfold from the inside. Marc tells Johnny how marketing, business decisions, and consumer behaviour shaped the outcome. Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive. Witness History is for those fascinated by the past. We take you to the events that have shaped our world through the eyes of the people who were there. For nine minutes every day, we take you back in time and all over the world, to examine wars, coups, scie