None of the times I have flown internationally, did we have to pay for headsets/earplugs. And this was in cattle class.

Same here. Maybe I've just happened to fly with the right airlines (BA, NZ, Delta, United, American) but I've never had to pay for in-flight entertainment, even in economy, even on US domestic flights. Mind you, the actual standard of in-flight entertainment has always varied with the age of the aircraft: CRTs in the ceiling in 737s, LCDs in seat backs in Airbuses and 777s. I've never seen video-on-demand in seat-back LCDs, though, only channels.

Peter