An Aereo Court Victory Could Be More Noise Than Signal

Aereo is having its much-trumpeted day in court. But even if it wins, broadcasters' immediate reactions could come as more of a whisper.

At stake, at least in theory, are fees from pay-TV providers to carry broadcast signals. If Aereo is struck down, the status quo will stand. And even if Aereo is upheld, retransmission fees won't immediately disappear. They are built into current agreements with pay-TV providers, who also have to maintain their overall relationship with content producers. Plus, even for a big technology company like Amazon, offering an Aereo-like service would mean damaging its relationship with the biggest content owners. This reality bolsters the idea that threats from broadcast executives to move their best content behind the pay-TV wall if Aereo wins are just that.