Aereo’s online TV service faces off against broadcast networks – The Verge

Aereo reveals appallingly low subscriber numbers

2014-07-22T03:23:15-04:00

Last month, the Supreme Court ruled that TV streaming service Aereo was in violation of the Copyright Act, leaving the company dead in the water. But even if things had gone differently, paperwork from the US Copyright Office suggests that the startup was already in trouble. Recode reports that Aereo had 77,596 subscribers at the end of the 2013. 27,000 of its users came from the New York City area, while Boston and the Atlanta area hosted 12,000 and 10,000 subscribers, respectively. With established brands like Netflix and Hulu already providing millions of users with premium content, it's small wonder that Aereo had difficulties breaking i …

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Aereo says it’s not dead yet, despite Supreme Court ruling otherwise

2014-07-09T20:24:18-04:00

It may not be curtains for internet television broadcasting company Aereo, which shut down last month following a ruling by the US Supreme Court that it violated the Copyright Act. In a new court filing today, the company says it believes it can operate once again, and within the confines of the Supreme Court decision by existing legally as a cable system instead of an equipment provider. Under current law, that would protect any transmissions it's picking up from being prohibited, the company wrote in a joint letter to US District Judge Alison Nathan.

A new classification for the company

"Under the Second Circuit's precedents, Aereo was a p …

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Aereo turns to Congress to reverse Supreme Court decision

2014-07-01T12:06:10-04:00

Last week saw the Supreme Court, in a 6-3 ruling, effectively wipe Aereo off the map by making the company's streaming service illegal. The decision had swift ramifications, with the company alerting customers over the weekend that it would suspend its offerings until it worked out next steps with the courts. In a last-ditch effort, CEO Chet Kanojia today sent a letter to customers urging them to notify Congress that they want the decision reversed.

"Tell your lawmakers how disappointed you are."

"Tell your lawmakers how disappointed you are that the nation's highest court issued a decision that could deny you the right to use the antenna of …

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Aereo to suspend service at 11:30 EST today

2014-06-28T09:26:31-04:00

On the heels of its Supreme Court loss, Aereo has announced it will suspend service starting today at 11:30am, Eastern Standard Time. CEO Chet Kanojia announced the suspension in a letter to customers this morning, saying the service would be temporarily paused as the company consults with the court on possible next steps. All users will also receive a refund for their last paid month of service.

Kanoijia maintained his fundamental disagreement with the ruling, saying, "the spectrum that the broadcasters use to transmit over the air programming belongs to the American public and we believe you should have a right to access that live program …

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Aereo is dead, so what’s next for television?

2014-06-25T15:38:50-04:00

The broadcast industry can breathe again: Aereo - the startup that streamed broadcast TV over the internet for cheap - is dead. Or at least, the incarnation of Aereo that wasn't paying copyright fees is dead, thanks to a Supreme Court ruling this morning. So what happens now?

A decision in favor of Aereo would have changed things quite a bit for the television industry, but today's ruling means back to business as usual. While some have raised fears that the opinion will impact cloud computing services, the court intended for the ruling to apply narrowly to Aereo.

"It just means you can expect more of the same," says Michael Greeson, presi …

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Aereo loses to broadcasters in Supreme Court fight for its life

2014-06-25T10:09:49-04:00

The Supreme Court struck a dramatic blow against Aereo today in a ruling that puts the TV streaming service as it currently exists on its deathbed. In a 6-3 ruling, the court found that Aereo's service violates the Copyright Act by playing back recordings of broadcasters' TV shows - even though it legally captures those shows over the air and obtains individual copies for each viewer. Aereo had argued that it was merely providing technology that its subscribers were renting in order to watch TV, positing that the viewers were responsible for playing back those recordings.

"Insofar as there are differences, those differences concern not the …

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Inside the Supreme Court for Aereo’s last stand

2014-04-22T14:22:58-04:00

Aereo CEO Chet Kanojia after the Supreme Court arguments.

The Supreme Court heard arguments today for and against Aereo, the startup that streams broadcast television to subscribers over the internet without paying copyright fees to broadcast networks.

The court didn't give many indications of which way it will rule, but the questions centered around a few themes: the impact of the ruling on cloud computing, whether Aereo is transmitting content or merely providing equipment, and whether the company's antenna farm is more than a sleight of hand to skirt copyright law.

Broadcasters including ABC, CBS, NBC, and Fox sued Aereo two years ago, a …

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Aereo fights for its life at the Supreme Court this week

2014-04-21T09:40:03-04:00

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Aereo, a startup that streams broadcast television over the internet, is headed to the Supreme Court tomorrow just two years after its debut, and stakeholders across the internet and television industries are watching closely.

The case is arguably the most important to hit the television industry since the landmark ruling over Sony's Betamax format in 1984, which legalized home recordings. It will determine to some degree how broadcast television will be offered online in the future, and could restrict cloud storage services like Dropbox and Google Music as well.

Aereo assigns each user a tiny remote antenna stored in a warehouse full of a …

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US government to argue against Aereo at Supreme Court hearing this week

2014-04-20T15:26:01-04:00

Major US broadcasters have found an ally in their case against Aereo, the streaming television service that uses thousands of micro antennas to pull in free over-the-air signals. Deadline reports that the US Supreme Court has granted a motion from the Deputy Solicitor General to appear during oral arguments on April 22nd as an amicus curiae in support of broadcaster's claims that Aereo infringes their copyrights.

The Obama Administration earlier requested permission to argue its perspective on the case before the justices on grounds that the decision will make important decisions about "the scope of the public-performance right in the conte …

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Aereo and broadcasters spar ahead of do-or-die Supreme Court trial

2014-04-17T10:40:00-04:00

Aereo is trying to win over public support ahead of its big battle with broadcasters in the Supreme Court next week. The service, which allows customers to stream broadcast TV on demand, has launched a website called Protect My Antenna to explain how Aereo works and what challenges it's facing in the court. Aereo CEO Chet Kanojia also sat down for a lengthy interview with Katie Couric, which includes with a lengthy explainer on how Aereo works and why it believes those methods to be legal too.

Aereo and broadcasters continue arguing the same points

The court battle, which has been brought by a consortium of broadcasters including Disney, NBC …

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