The U.S. Supreme unexpectedly agreed to hear arguments from the big media networks versus a small upstart company Aereo, that "rents" tiny antennas to individual subscribers. The antennas are arranged in an array, increasing their power exponentially, then the signal is sent over the internet peer to peer, similar to a sling box operation. Aereo also sells PVR like functions in the cloud.
At present, the service is limited to people in the viewing area of each separate over-the-air broadcast market, but it normally includes network programming such as ABC, CBS, NBS, Fox and PBS. The future limits of the rebroadcast service may well be determined by the Supreme Court ruling.
So far Aereo has been successful in the courts, but the implications if this situation is allowed to continue, are incalculable -- and horrifying to over-the-air content providers. Their entire business model will crumble, and the cable companies themselves may have to jump on the Aereo band wagon. They may have to sell over-the-air rebroadcasts to their own internet subscribers.
Worst case scenario: all fees paid by cable companies to individual stations wither on the vine, the major networks have to move exclusively to the internet, and antenna sales plummet as virtually no content remains on the air via UHF or VHF.
What Aereo has done is find a tiny loophole in copyright law, and driven a Mac truck right through it. Will Congress jump in to fix their little mistake? Can Aereo match NBC, CBS, ABC and Comcast dollar for lobbying dollar? Stay tuned!
Supreme Court agrees to hear Aereo case | Internet & Media - CNET News
At present, the service is limited to people in the viewing area of each separate over-the-air broadcast market, but it normally includes network programming such as ABC, CBS, NBS, Fox and PBS. The future limits of the rebroadcast service may well be determined by the Supreme Court ruling.
So far Aereo has been successful in the courts, but the implications if this situation is allowed to continue, are incalculable -- and horrifying to over-the-air content providers. Their entire business model will crumble, and the cable companies themselves may have to jump on the Aereo band wagon. They may have to sell over-the-air rebroadcasts to their own internet subscribers.
Worst case scenario: all fees paid by cable companies to individual stations wither on the vine, the major networks have to move exclusively to the internet, and antenna sales plummet as virtually no content remains on the air via UHF or VHF.
What Aereo has done is find a tiny loophole in copyright law, and driven a Mac truck right through it. Will Congress jump in to fix their little mistake? Can Aereo match NBC, CBS, ABC and Comcast dollar for lobbying dollar? Stay tuned!
Supreme Court agrees to hear Aereo case | Internet & Media - CNET News