The Supremes To Decide Future Of TV Distribution

Aereo antennae

Broadcast networks are facing a classic game of Whac-A-Mole in their efforts to stamp out streaming service Aereo, according to The NY Post.

The nation’s highest court will hear arguments on Tuesday over whether Barry Diller’s two-year-old TV startup is stealing their programming and re-transmitting it to Aereo subscribers.

Diller, who launched Aereo on Valentine’s Day in 2012, has said publicly that the service is “finished” if it loses the Supreme Court case.

New York-based Aereo charges $8 a month to allow subscribers to watch broadcast TV programs on their computer, tablet or smart phone via the Internet.

The service, which is available in 11 cities including New York, works by capturing live broadcast TV signals and retransmitting them using tiny antennas.

Major broadcasters — including CBS, NBC, ABC and Fox — argue that Aereo’s business model is a violation of the 1976 copyright law that prohibits public performance.

Aereo claims that it is under no obligation to pay for free-of-charge programming that is available over the public airwaves.

Both Aereo and the broadcasters asked the Supreme Court to weigh in after legal skirmishes in lower courts failed to settle the issue.

The Supreme Court is expected to issue a ruling in late June or July.

If the highest court finds Aereo is legal, as several lower courts have, then cable and satellite companies that currently pay hefty retransmission fees to broadcasters might stop paying and set up Aereo-like systems instead.

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