Posted on 01/31/2019 7:50:35 AM PST by Theoria
Structured as a nonprofit, the start-up aims to succeed where Aereo was litigated into oblivion.
On the roof of a luxury building at the edge of Central Park, 585 feet above the concrete, a lawyer named David Goodfriend has attached a modest four-foot antenna that is a threat to the entire TV-industrial complex.
The device is there to soak up TV signals coursing through the air — content from NBC, ABC, Fox, PBS and CBS, including megahits like “This Is Us” and this Sunday’s broadcast of Super Bowl LIII. Once plucked from the ether, the content is piped through the internet and assembled into an app called Locast. It’s a streaming service, and it makes all of this network programming available to subscribers in ways that are more convenient than relying on a home antenna: It’s viewable on almost any device, at any time, in pristine quality that doesn’t cut in and out. It’s also completely free.
If this sounds familiar, you might be thinking of Aereo, the Barry Diller-backed start-up that in 2012 threatened to upend the media industry by capturing over-the-air TV signals and streaming the content to subscribers for a fee — while not paying broadcasters a dime. NBC, CBS, ABC and Fox banded together and sued, eventually convincing the Supreme Court that Aereo had violated copyright law. The clear implication for many: If you mess with the broadcasters, you’ll file for bankruptcy and cost your investors more than $100 million.
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
megahits like “This Is Us”
Bkmrk.
As long as they’re not charging for use of the ap, and aren’t providing any controls to block the advertisements, I don’t see where the networks will say boo.
I can see them cutting a deal with the networks in future, after they can prove usage numbers to them. If those numbers are in the millions, Locast will be in a very good position to make great profits from this.
Nowadays I imagine paid streaming services like Roku and Amazon will line up to sue this guy also.
Roku is not a paid streaming service.
I used Aereo and loved it.
True, but one does pay Roku to buy the ability to stream. And there is a Roku Channel.
Roku is not non-profit.
And yes, you *do* have to purchase the hardware. However, there is no monthly charge that you are forced into paying. You just have the ability to tune into other channels--much like buying an OTA antenna.
Locast currently runs on a loan from an undisclosed person. Its backers, a sports-fan advocacy group simply called the Sports Fans Coalition, hope user donations will fund the service.A "loan from an undisclosed person"
"Hoping users will 'donate.'"
"Would Love to Get Sued."
What sort of business model is that? What is Locast founder David Goodfriend up to? Is hoping to attract big lawsuits, defend Locast pro bono, and get the losers to pay him his legal fees?
Wiki --
David Goodfriend (born 1968) is an American attorney and advocate in Washington, D.C. He is a former Clinton Administration aide, where he served as Deputy Staff Secretary to President William J. Clinton. Goodfriend's politics and government career also includes staff positions with Rep. Charles B. Rangel, Sen. Herb Kohl, and as legal advisor to Federal Communications Commissioner Susan Ness. Goodfriend is co-host of "Left Jab" on Sirius-XM Satellite Radio and is a politics contributor on MSNBC and CNBC."Goodfriend is also the founder and Chairman of Sports Fans Coalition, a coalition of sports activists, fighting to give sports fans greater voice in public policy impacting professional and collegiate sports.
Shrug--tax deduction?
Sounds like someone we should NOT trust... I wonder what he's really up to...
He was Vice President of Law and Public Policy at DISH Network (i.e., top lobbyist) until December 2008. Dish Network was his first client after leaving. He was co-founder, EVP and General Counsel of Air America Radio. He has served as co-chairman of the Federal Communications Bar Association Legislation Committee. He is a frequent contributor to Al Jazeera America.
This article sounds like a media placement story by his company, The Goodfriend Group. See Locast, A Free App Streaming Network TV, Would Love To Get Sued.
Something doesn't smell right with this whole "Locast" venture.
Rather ‘torrent or NZB ala SickGear and few other apps. Least then, it’s been scrubbed of B.S. (commercial breaks) and usually has the CC embedded/available.
And you have to get an account, give them a credit card number, and give them private info they can sell. The Roku won’t even fire up without it.
They should legally have these “requirements” displayed on the box and they do not. At least an “opt out” of any paid subscriptions with no credit card number required. It’s just an “Adapter” between your WiFi and your display.
I am really interested in how the legalities of this guy’s project turns out. Could it be a precedent for “non-profit” satellite re-transmissions?
Pay no mind to me... Just ranting about extortion business practices again my friend. :)
Nope. I own a Roku and gave them none of my info. It really is just like an antenna.
My reaction too...
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