Quote Originally Posted by Smokey View Post
But unlike cable and telecom companies, local netwoks are using public spectrum airways which are worth billions of dollars to transmit their signal for free. And since the signal is free, I don't see any difference between picking up local channels on big antenna or dime size antenna which Aereo uses.
Smoke, step back just a bit because you are missing the point here. Broadcast Networks have to pay for content they don't produce everything by themselves. The way broadcaster get their money back is through advertising revenue, and content licensing fee charged to cable and the telecoms. Free off the air programming is largely underwritten by advertising revenue. If a rebroadcaster picks up a feed and charges the customer for receiving it without paying for a rebroadcasting licensing fee like cable and the telecoms do, then advertising revenue tanks and the networks lose money. You must purchase the rights to broadcast content the Networks have paid for. Free reception OTA is one thing(it is for the public good), Aereo is charging its customers to receive a feed they have stolen themselves. That is the problem.



I doubt very much if that will ever happen. By going to cable, they will lose consumer base which use to get network for free over the air. And since they are advertise supported, it makes no economical sense
Since you don't work in this industry, I can understand your doubt. However, there are things you don't understand for that very reason. Network television is a billion plus dollar industry. If Aereo can pop up a receiving antenna and charge customer for receiving that feed, then the cable companies and telecoms will be able to do the same thing. If you want your Network to remain viable and profitable, the only way to stop this and maintain the value of the network is put your content behind a paywall. They are not going to allow the content they paid for to be stolen and resold. This is serious business Smoke, you cannot dismiss it like you are doing.