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The answer goes deep into networking technology. I try to explain a few major points:
Streaming is built on IP networking, which in turn can be built on different cable technologies. IP transmits every piece of data reliably, but asynchronously - the sender cannot know how long it will take. This is good for things like the www: everybody gets his individual request fulfilled sooner or later.
"Cable" is built directly on one cable technology. It transmits all things synchronously: you know exactly how long the transmission takes, and the amount of data is the same at all times. This is good for one long movie without any disturbances, but it does not give much flexibility when many different users have many different needs.