Skip to main content

News Corp draws line in the sand over Aereo

NAB Carey KeynoteJust when we thought the fight between the major television networks and upstart OTA web streaming service, Aereo, couldn’t get any uglier, it just did. News Corp, Fox’s parent company, apparently told the folks over at Bloomberg that if Aereo’s operations are not shut down, it will shut down its over-the-air broadcast service . News Corp COO Chase Carey didn’t imply that the company would take unilateral action and remove the channel immediately, but that it would wait for the courts to force Aereo to cease its operations.

“Aereo is stealing our signal,” said Carey during his NAB (National Association of Broadcasters) opening keynote event. “We’re going to pursue [our] legal rights fully and completely, and we believe we’ll prevail … if we can’t have our rights properly protected through legal and political avenues, we will pursue business solutions. One such business solution would be to take the network and turn it into a subscription service.”

Recommended Videos

Regarding News Corp’s assertions, Virginia Lam, spokesperson for Aereo, responded saying, “Aereo has invented a simple, convenient way for consumers to utilize an antenna to access free-to-air broadcast television, bringing television access into the modern era for millions of consumers. It’s disappointing to hear that Fox believes that consumers should not be permitted to use  an antenna to access free-to-air broadcast television. Over 50 million Americans today access television via an antenna. When broadcasters asked Congress for a free license to digitally broadcast on the public’s airwaves, they did so with the promise that they would broadcast in the public interest and convenience, and that they would remain free-to-air. Having a television antenna is every American’s right.”

A Supreme Court challenge to the unexpected legal victory recently handed to Aereo by the Court of Appeals in New York City is pretty much a given, unless the networks and Aereo are able to resolve their fight outside of the courtroom.

Aereo, however, has been busy speaking with AT&T, Dish Network, and DirecTV about expanding its operations outside of the New York City area, so it’s difficult to see how this is going to end amicably.

News Corp may be bluffing with its announcement today, and only time will tell if the other affected networks will try the same tactic in an attempt force Aereo into some form of negotiations. Regardless, any Supreme Court challenge will probably not be heard until later this year – or even 2014 – so Aereo does have some time on its hands to make a deal.

Ian White
Former Contributor
Ian has been a full-time A/V journalist since 1999, covering the world of high-end audio, video, music, and film for Digital…
These 8 out of 10 headphones have an incredible early Prime Day deal
Sennheiser Momentum Wireless 4

Amazon's Prime Day 2025 is fast approaching, but there's no need to wait if you're looking for headphone deals as we've already found one that you shouldn't miss. The retailer has slashed the price of the Sennheiser Momentum 4 by 30%, bringing them down to $315 from $450 originally. The $135 discount on these wireless headphones may not last long though, so if you want to get them for a more affordable price than usual, hurry with your purchase so you don't lose this chance.

BUY NOW

Read more
You Asked: Budget Sony OLED? Does TV Tech Surpass Human Perception?
You Asked Ep 97

On today’s episode of You Asked: Panasonic Mini LED or LG QNED? What’s the best Sony OLED to get that won’t cost you as much as the A95L? And with such good sound and picture quality from the latest TVs and speakers, how much more can they even improve?

Panasonic W95A vs. LG QNED80T

Read more
Hisense U6 4K TV on sale in early Prime Day deal — 85-inch model is 30% off
Hisense 2025 ULED TV U6 Series.

Prime Day 2025 won't officially start until next week, but Amazon already slashed the prices of some 4K TVs for those who can't wait to buy upgrades for their home theater setup. Here's an offer that you should consider -- the 85-inch Hisense U6 Series 4K TV for $1,398, following a 30% discount on its original price of $2,000 for savings of $602. If that screen's too large for you, you can also get the 65-inch model for $662 instead of $1,000 for a 34% discount, or savings of $338, and the 55-inch model for $480 instead of $800 for a 40% discount, or savings of $320. These TV deals will only be available for a limited time, so you better hurry as it doesn't look like they'll still be around when Prime Day launches.

Buy Now

Read more