“Aereo is a start-up funded by ex-Fox CEO Barry Diller’s IAC that streams the local broadcast signals of TV stations via the Web to iPhones and iPads for a $12 monthly fee,” reports Fortune. “It’s been available since March in New York City, but there’s no technical reason it couldn’t work nationwide.”
The biggest winner in Aereo’s recent court victory may end up being Apple. District Judge Alison Nathan ruled against a request by TV networks for a preliminary injunction, possibly bringing Steve Jobs’ dream of an Apple TV one step closer to fruition.
Jobs wanted “the best of television without the rest of the 500 channels that most viewers never watch,” notes the article. TV networks did not want to negotiate with Jobs, because his model would upset their existing business model.
However, Aereo could change all that. Since Aereo pays no licensing fees to the networks, other companies could follow the same model to take advantage of local broadcast signals.
On the other hand, Apple would share revenues with the content creators, meaning networks may soon reopen negotiations with Apple if Aereo’s legal successes continue.
“It was a setback for the networks. It was a big, if temporary, win for Aereo. It was also a win for the cable and satellite TV providers who pay a small fortune to the networks for access their content,” notes Fortune regarding the recent decision. “I don’t know if it’s legal or not,” said Time Warner Cable CEO Glenn Britt. “But if it is, we should do it too.”
“Aereo is a start-up funded by ex-Fox CEO Barry Diller’s IAC that streams the local broadcast signals of TV stations via the Web to iPhones and iPads for a $12 monthly fee,” reports Fortune. “It’s been available since March in New York City, but there’s no technical reason it couldn’t work nationwide.”
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