broadcasters

Aereo throws punch in streaming battle by publishing ad in NYT

Live-television streaming service Aereo is revving up its fight against major U.S. broadcasters.

The company took out a full-page ad in the front section of The New York Times on Tuesday, making a case as to why its business isn't breaking copyright law.

"People have enjoyed the right to access over-the-air broadcast television using an antenna for over 70 years," the ad says. "About 54 million Americans use some sort of antenna to watch TV. This is not piracy. This has been part of the American way since the beginning of broadcasting."

Aereo is … Read more

CBS joins Fox in considering subscription-only model

Another television network has joined the broadcaster backlash following last week's court decision upholding Internet TV company Aereo's right to stream broadcast TV without paying retransmission fees.

Like rival Fox TV, CBS, the parent company of CNET, is considering alternative ways to monetize its television content in the face of Aereo's service, including cutting off broadcast signals in favor of a subscription-only model, The New York Times reported today. The revelation comes a day after Chase Carey, chief operations officer of News Corp., indicated that Fox would change its business model to ensure it gets paid for … Read more

The 404 1,193: Where we take the number 2 train (podcast)

Welcome to today's show, where we're finally analyzing the food photography trend for what it is, with the help of this article in the New York Times that profiles restaurateur David Bouley and the creative tactics he's come up with to stop the dining room distractions.

The way we see it, the problem with food photography is that we've collectively lost our shame and sense of subtlety when it comes time to dine. Instead of snapping a quick 3-second iPhone pic, we've seen folks stand on chairs, use tripods with a giant dSLR, and even ask the restaurant to adjust the ceiling lights to suit the mood of the picture.

The fact is that there's really no better way to prove you're eating above your budget than to take a picture of it. Argue all you want, it's just a tacky move and plenty of restaurants agree. Check out today's show to hear some places are doing to avoid the awkwardness.… Read more

Aereo to bring its TV service to 22 cities this year

Courtroom challenges haven't put a damper on Aereo's ambitions.

The upstart TV service announced today that over the course of 2013 it plans to expand beyond its birthplace to 22 cities nearly coast to coast, from Boston in the East to Salt Lake City in the West and Birmingham, Ala., down South. To date, the Barry Diller-backed streaming over-the-air TV service has been available only in New York City.

Investors, too, still seem intrigued by the company's prospects. Aereo, based in Long Island City, N.Y., also said today that it has closed a $38 million Series … Read more

Aereo streaming joins forces with Bloomberg TV

Despite major TV networks claiming Aereo's illegitimacy, the streaming service now has an official cable TV partner: Bloomberg.

Aereo struck a deal with Bloomberg TV today to allow streaming news, according to The Wall Street Journal. Reportedly, Aereo will pay Bloomberg TV for its content, but the terms of the deal were not disclosed.

"We believe that our members will see deep value adding in Bloomberg Television as their 'go-to' source for financial news," Aereo founder Chet Kanojia said in a statement, according to the Journal. While Bloomberg TV announced that it was "pleased to have … Read more

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

Pandora offers song and dance about music sales

Pandora's represents a golden opportunity for artists to cash in on Internet radio, co-founder Tim Westergren wrote today.

To prove his case, Westergren rolled out some heady numbers. He noted that three little-known artists are on track to make $100,000 in performance fees from Pandora. Westergren says that the Web's top radio service will pay over $10,000 each to 2,000 individual artists over the next 12 months.

Some 800 artists will receive payments of $50,000 or more. Artists such as Coldplay, Adele Wiz Khalifa, Jason Aldean will receive $1 million or more and Drake … Read more

Boxee readying new set-top box with DVR support?

The makers of the Boxee Box set-top box appear close to releasing its successor in the coming months, and it could offer support for over-the-air live television, as well as DVR support and the usual cast and crew of Web apps.

Sadly, those looking for the next great aesthetic breakthrough from the company might find the leaked device a bit uninspiring. Photos supplied from The Verge indicate that the Boxee TV might shed its predecessor's cube-like design for a more conventional rectangular prism look with a matte black finish. … Read more

Ustream's BFF app live broadcasts to Facebook

Streaming company Ustream announced today that it is bringing live video to Facebook's news feed, according to The Verge.

The streaming will come via a new mobile app called BFF. No, it doesn't stand for Best Friends Forever, it means Broadcast For Friends. The idea is for people to simultaneously record and broadcast on Facebook without having to upload the video first. Apparently, Ustream's goal is that it be simple.

The way the app works is after loading it up, users can choose who in the Facebook world they want to view it, pick a camera filter, … Read more