WCVB Boston Sues Aereo
Hearst Television's WCVB Boston has filed a lawsuit against Aereo, saying the online TV service has infringed on WCVB's copyright by grabbing the station signals and retransmitting them to subscribers for a fee.
"If Aereo is permitted to profit from the unauthorized retransmission of copyrighted television programming, WCVB will be deprived of existing and potential revenue streams from advertising and authorized retransmissions," said WCVB's suit, according to Bloomberg BusinessWeek.
Aereo is facing a litany of lawsuits from broadcasters. The company declined a request for comment.
Available in New York City, Boston and Atlanta, Aereo is set to launch in Chicago in mid-September.
WCVB could not be reached for comment on short notice at presstime.
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Michael Malone is content director at B+C and Multichannel News. He joined B+C in 2005 and has covered network programming, including entertainment, news and sports on broadcast, cable and streaming; and local broadcast television, including writing the "Local News Close-Up" market profiles. He also hosted the podcasts "Busted Pilot" and "Series Business." His journalism has also appeared in The New York Times, The L.A. Times, The Boston Globe and New York magazine.