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I am an Aereo subscriber and they go through great pains to ensure I live in the market I say I do. So I don't understand how the networks view this as anything

I am an Aereo subscriber and they go through great pains to ensure I live in the market I say I do. So I don't understand how the networks view this as anything different than me putting up an antenna on my roof and watching their sports ball that way. How does this impact them at all? If anything technology like this could tell them more about their audience then they could ever hope to know via traditional OTA broadcasts. But maybe that's the rub? They're scared that people will finally realize that not as many people are watching as they think?

joezydeco 13y ago
See discussion above. It's all about the retransmission fees that the networks are getting from the cable companies. Aereo is breaking that model.
- evandena 13y ago
  Call me obtuse, but I still don't get it. Specifically, how is it any different than me using my own antenna? Does it just boil down to an OTA vs Cable war, and the networks/NFL/etc would rather everyone pay for cable instead of installing their own antenna?
  - joezydeco 13y ago
    The NFL doesn't really matter here. They are getting their rebroadcast fees from the networks no matter who is watching. The networks are the ones making extra revenue by forcing the cable companies to pay them to carry shows on their systems. The historical reasons for this are complex but I would refer you to a nice NPR podcast that explains it better: http://www.npr.org/blogs/money/2013/09/27/226891181/episode-488-the-secret-history-of-your-cable-bill http://www.npr.org/blogs/money/2013/09/27/226891181/episode-... So back to the problem at hand: Aereo has found a way to skip around those carriage fees that the networks demand. The courts have backed them up. So the real problem is that the cable companies are now asking "why should we pay if Aereo is not?" It's not a cable-vs-OTA war, it's the networks-vs-everyone-else.
MichaelGG 13y ago
That's even stranger - apparently Aereo only allows you to use an antenna where you have your CC billing ZIP code. Which means I can't just sign up for any programming I want. How is Aereo any different than me installing an antenna and Slingbox? Sure, it's more streamlined and the user doesn't have to screw around with hardware, but conceptually, Aereo could even mount the antenna where the user is and stream from their home Internet connection. I was under the impression Aereo would rent you an antenna+DVR in any place, so you could watch programming from another state/country. As-is, I can't see what the fuss is about...

joezydeco 13y ago

See discussion above. It's all about the retransmission fees that the networks are getting from the cable companies. Aereo is breaking that model.

evandena 13y ago
Call me obtuse, but I still don't get it. Specifically, how is it any different than me using my own antenna? Does it just boil down to an OTA vs Cable war, and the networks/NFL/etc would rather everyone pay for cable instead of installing their own antenna?
- joezydeco 13y ago
  The NFL doesn't really matter here. They are getting their rebroadcast fees from the networks no matter who is watching. The networks are the ones making extra revenue by forcing the cable companies to pay them to carry shows on their systems. The historical reasons for this are complex but I would refer you to a nice NPR podcast that explains it better: http://www.npr.org/blogs/money/2013/09/27/226891181/episode-488-the-secret-history-of-your-cable-bill http://www.npr.org/blogs/money/2013/09/27/226891181/episode-... So back to the problem at hand: Aereo has found a way to skip around those carriage fees that the networks demand. The courts have backed them up. So the real problem is that the cable companies are now asking "why should we pay if Aereo is not?" It's not a cable-vs-OTA war, it's the networks-vs-everyone-else.

MichaelGG 13y ago

That's even stranger - apparently Aereo only allows you to use an antenna where you have your CC billing ZIP code. Which means I can't just sign up for any programming I want. How is Aereo any different than me installing an antenna and Slingbox? Sure, it's more streamlined and the user doesn't have to screw around with hardware, but conceptually, Aereo could even mount the antenna where the user is and stream from their home Internet connection. I was under the impression Aereo would rent you an antenna+DVR in any place, so you could watch programming from another state/country. As-is, I can't see what the fuss is about...