barry diller

Aereo TV streaming expands to major Web browsers

Watching live TV on your computer just got a lot easier.

New York-based startup Aereo today said its service has been expanded to all major Web browsers, including Google Chrome, Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari, and Opera. Previously, its service was limited to Apple devices and Roku's Internet-connected boxes.

"The vast majority of American households own laptop or desktop computers -- it's only natural that we expand the universe of Internet browsers that can access Aereo," Chief Executive Chet Kanojia said in a press release. "More flexibility, more choice, and more devices mean a better overall … Read more

New York Times Co. to sell About.com to Barry Diller's IAC

The New York Times Co. is expected to announce soon that it has reached a deal to sell the About Group, which includes Web site About.com, to Barry Diller's InterActiveCorp, a source with knowledge of the deal told CNET.

IAC is expected to pay $300 million in cash for the struggling information site, with the deal closing in the next couple of weeks, the New York Times Co. confirmed in a statement late Sunday.

"About's early expertise in search engine optimization, expert content and revenues from cost-per-click and display advertising made it a valuable component of … Read more

Barry Diller gets into bidding war for About.com, report says

Barry Diller, one of the premiere dealmakers in media, has bid $300 million for struggling About.com, The New York Times' information Web site, according to Reuters.

The offer from Diller's holding company, IAC/Interactivecorp, is about $30 million higher than a rival bid from Answers.com, Reuters reported.

The Times announced on August 8 that it was in discussions about selling its About Group but didn't identify the interested parties. Answers.com President Peter Horan is the former head of About.com.

About.com is designed to be a guide for Internet users and offers tips, advice, … Read more

Aereo's founder has broadcast TV in a headlock--now what? (Q&A)

NEW YORK--Broadcast TV is the last frontier for Web video, and Aereo founder Chet Kanojia has just stuck a tiny antenna into the virgin turf to claim it for himself.

Last week, a federal district court denied a request for a preliminary injunction against Aereo that was sought by two groups of TV broadcasters. The injunction would have required Aereo, a Web TV service, to halt operations. In their lawsuits, broadcasters such as NBC, Fox, ABC and CBS (parent company of CNET) accuse Aereo of ripping off their programming without compensating them.

Aereo says consumers are the ones accessing this … Read more

Barry Diller predicts major Aereo expansion by 2013

Fresh from a legal victory against the TV networks, controversial streaming service Aereo expects to expand beyond New York to other large U.S. cities, Aereo backer and billionaire Barry Diller said today.

"We're going to really start marketing," Diller said in a Bloomberg Television interview at the Allen & Co. annual retreat in Sun Valley, Idaho. "Within a year and a half, certainly by '13, we'll be in most major [markets]."

For $12 a month, the streaming service allows subscribers to receive and record programs on any Internet-connected device over a dime-size antenna. … Read more

Aereo survives networks' bid to block program rebroadcasts

A federal judge has denied a request by the major TV networks to prevent Aereo, the streaming service backed by Barry Diller, from rebroadcasting their programs over the Internet.

Judge Alison Nathan for the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York rejected a requested preliminary injunction today, according to a Reuters report. Nathan said that while both sides had demonstrated possible harm in the situation, the "balance of hardships" did not "decidedly" tip to broadcasters' favor.

For $12 a month, the streaming service allows subscribers to receive and record programs on any … Read more

A bet that Diller-backed Aereo TV startup wins its day in court

commentary I don't expect the presiding judge in the Aereo case to issue a preliminary injunction against the service.

On Thursday, at the conclusion of a two-day hearing, U.S. District Court Judge Alison Nathan still sounded skeptical of many of the arguments made by the TV broadcasters who have accused Aereo of copyright violations in two separate lawsuits.

The broadcasters have asked the court to force Aereo to stop distributing their programming immediately. If Nathan denies the broadcasters' request, the case isn't over. It just means Aereo can continue operating at least until a final judgment is … Read more

Web TV service Aereo lives--no injunctions in sight

New Yorkers can watch live broadcast TV via the Web, starting today.

Aereo, the company that streams over-the-air television broadcasts, has made its debut, and that means the many broadcasters that sued the service for copyright violations were unsuccessful at holding up the launch.

The victory may be short lived, however. I'm hearing there's a court proceeding scheduled for May 28 regarding the broadcasters' preliminary injunction request. If granted, Aereo would be forced to shut down while the case plays out in court.

Two weeks ago, most of the top broadcast stations in New York participated in at … Read more

Diller's Aereo Web TV countersues broadcasters

Well, it certainly didn't take long for Barry Diller to follow through with his promise to go after the broadcasters.

Aereo, an online video service owned by Diller and his IAC/InterActive Corp., has filed a countersuit against the broadcasters who have taken aim at his new venture, according to a report from Reuters. The suit declares that Aereo does not infringe on the broadcasters' copyrights.

Aereo was hit with suits earlier this from nearly every major TV broadcaster in New York. The Internet TV service, which was scheduled to launch March 14, intended to take shows freely available … Read more