As Aereo threatens to alter TV landscape, major networks promise a fight

WASHINGTON POST: For consumers who want to cut their cable cord and get all of their television from the Internet, there’s been a major obstacle: It’s hard to get live sports and local news.

Now a Web start-up, called Aereo, is offering to remove that last barrier with a simple method. It is using antennas to pick up programming from public airwaves and then deliver shows into homes that have a Web connection — for as little as $10 a month.

In lawsuits, [major networks] argued Aereo is little more than a content thief. But their efforts to persuade federal courts to shut it down have failed. On Monday, Fox television’s parent company fired back, saying it might consider delivering its shows only through cable connections, no longer broadcasting them… (more)

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2 Comments

  1. Good for Aereo! I already watch little news and except for a few sports channels no television. Long ago I grew tired of the national media. Once again technology thrashes crony capitalism. Isn’t technology great!

    EDITOR: It seems hypocritcal for us to ask who can afford to create ‘content’ if others can readily steal it. After all, we use excerpts and link to the content supplied by others.

    But at least we are only giving away samples and we may be bringing new customers. This is hardly the case when an entire show can be sold to others without payment to those who provide it.

  2. Mr. Editor, They are already giving it away and have been for almost 70 years. That is what “over the air” broadcasting is all about. All Aereo is doing is retransmitting it over the internet. Something the networks could do too if they wanted. But they would rather cry about it. Btw, if they could stop Newslanc from aggregating, they would.

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