Aereo was responsible for bringing the idea of television rebroadcasting to the public’s attention, but unfortunately, this was mostly due to the legal battle the company was having with copyright holders and traditional broadcasters. While it eventually lost that battle and was forced to shut down, a recent ruling by a California judge gives us a glimmer of hope that television rebroadcasting isn’t dead yet.
Those keeping up with the struggles of new technology and media innovation with established players and laws may be familiar with the controversial (and now extinct) startup Aereo. Aereo, along with several other like-minded companies, engaged in the practice of rebroadcasting TV signals to subscribers and consumers. In effect, they functioned as a second pipe, a way to move content from one access point to a more convenient access point. In their attempt to legally justify this service, Aereo went so far as to produce a TV antenna for each subscriber. Unfortunately for Aereo, even this justification wasn’t enough to satisfy established broadcasters, copyright holders, or judges. Aereo sought desperately to obtain a license to continue operation in some fashion, but were denied as well, resulting in the dismantling of the company.