Stung by Supreme Court, Aereo Suspends Service
June 30, 2014
Aereo, the start-up firm that threatened to upend the television industry, has hit the pause button.
Three days after the Supreme Court ruled that Aereo had violated copyright laws by capturing broadcast signals on miniature antennas and transmitting them to subscribers for a fee, the company suspended its service.
“We have decided to pause our operations temporarily as we consult with the court and map out our next steps,” Chet Kanojia, Aereo’s chief executive, said.
Aereo said that the service would not be available after 11:30 a.m. on June 28 and that it would give users a refund for their last paid month. The company had fewer than 500,000 subscribers in about a dozen metropolitan areas.
Stung by Supreme Court, Aereo Suspends Service Aereo suspends online-streaming service after Supreme Court ruling (Washington Post) Aereo hits ‘pause’ button on service, will issue refunds to customers (Washington Post) Aereo to subscribers: We're taking 'a pause' (The Hill) Aereo suspends TV service...but not 'shutting down' (CNNMoney) Aereo suspends service, promises refunds to subscribers (GigaOm) Aereo Shuts Down, Considers Options (Multichannel News) Aereo Suspends Service After SCOTUS Ruling (TVNewsCheck) Aereo Presses the Pause Button (AdWeek) Aereo to suspend service at 11:30 EST today (The Verge) Aereo shuts down just days after court decision (USAToday) Aereo puts operations on hold, refunds customers last paid month (ars technica)