Study of Netflix rental data from 2001-2005 that found no evidence for The Long Tail. If anything, demand was concentrated at the top. When faced with such a large choice, people tend to gravitate towards what they know best - the hits.
It’s hard to search such a large library, and most recommendation systems tend to recognise based on what other people have watched, increasing the likelihood that hits will be recommended.
The key business message is that if you’re a company that wants to take advantage of the long tail, you need to invest heavily in your recommendation algorithms to ensure that niche products are well-classified and get recommended.