Aereo is taking its Live TV streaming service to Chicago, Illinois with a September 13 release date. The company is continuing to rapidly expand its service despite heavy opposition from CBS, Fox, and other traditional broadcasters.
Aereo is launching the Chicago market after successful launches in New York City, Boston, and Atlanta.
When the service launches in Illinois, it will be made available in 16 counties throughout the state and several areas in Indiana. The platform will cover major broadcast networks, over-the-air special interests, and foreign language channels. Buyers will also be given the option to purchase Bloomberg Television as an add-on offering.
Aereo is cheap at just $8 per month with 20 hours of DVR storage. Buyers looking for a larger amount of storage can pay an additional $4 for 60 DVR hours.
While court orders have agreed that Aereo is within the bounds of the law, network executives have disagreed. ABC president Anne Sweeney called Aereo “wrong” and said the program is “illegal” and “opportunistic piracy.”
Aereo works by using thousand of miniature HD antennas to pick up HD signals from over-the-air broadcasters. The company then streams those saved broadcasts to customers.
Further attacking the platform Sweeney revealed that Aereo is “taking advantage of our content, of our creative community, and using it for their own gain.”
Aereo CEO Barry Diller says he is “happy the broadcasters sued us in such a noisy way.” All of the publicity from the Aereo lawsuits have helped educate the public about the incredibly smart and value added service.
Aereo plans to expand its services to 21 cities before the end of 2013.
Do you plan on purchasing a monthly Aereo subscription when the service arrives in Illinois and Indiana?
