Netflix didn't use Flash; it used Silverlight.
> don't disagree with what you say, but it's possible to see EME as a pragmatic inevitability, assuming that browsers want to get rid of plugins
Or browsers could just collectively get rid of plugins, and the media industry could whine ineffectually at the lack of DRM. They're not going to build their own browser, and people wouldn't use it if they did. Netflix wouldn't go away; millions of people would complain if it stopped working.
The Media industry would likely rally behind a platform that decided to play ball (like HBO Go), which would then implement some frankenstein DRM solution. "Get rid of plugins and the studios will adopt non-DRM solutions" seems about as useful as "Get rid of Limewire and people will stop pirating."
Hell they already do on just about every platform except desktop...
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/store/apps/netflix/9wzdncrfj...
Second, many of the people running Windows 8/8.1/10 know so little about apps that they're "against" them.
Why not port it to Windows 7?
The advantage of building a Universal app using Windows Runtime is that it will run on Windows 8/8.1/10, Xbox One and Windows Phone. That's more than half a billion users....
They would have to start shipping their own proprietary apps to support their DRM, which is how things should have been. Browers could have gotten rid of plugins without DRM by forcing the old publishers to not be able to operate exclusively through web sites.
I don't disagree with what you say, but it's possible to see EME as a pragmatic inevitability, assuming that browsers want to get rid of plugins (which seems like a good change) and assuming that content owners demand DRM (which makes less sense to tech-minded people).