Betamax lost the format war to VHS in the late 70s and early 80s, mostly because Sony kept the format tightly licensed while JVC let other manufacturers freely make VHS players, so VHS just flooded the market faster and cheaper. VHS tapes could also record longer, which mattered more to consumers than Betamax's slightly better picture quality. Sony kept making Betamax decks until 2002 and even kept selling the tapes themselves until 2016.
wild that Sony kept making the tapes that long after everyone had moved on, gotta respect the commitment
this is basically the textbook business school example of better tech doesn't always win, licensing strategy mattered way more than picture quality here