I'm pretty sure, that this is a licensing issue. When you record off the TV, they know who licensed it (the station). The same applies, when you buy a DVD, you are buying the license with it. Like on amazon.com, you can download there movies/tv shows. Some you can actually purchase the license for (two downloads), but many you can only keep for 24hrs (it's like renting it), after that you can't access it, unless you pay again. When you stream video or music, the movie/show/song, never leaves the internet, it never becomes your possession. It plays and then it's gone, so there are no ownership licensing issues, that is the loop hole.
