Aereo, the company currently disrupting the cable industry has announced a Chicago launch date. Their expansion nationally is an important moment in the evolution of the TV industry as we know it. Here are the details.
“In Chicago, consumers will be able to use Aereo’s unique antenna/DVR technology, to record and watch major networks such WLS-TV (ABC), WFLD-TV (FOX), WMAQ-TV (NBC), WBBM-TV (CBS) and WYCC (PBS), as well as other over-the-air special interest and foreign language channels. In addition, consumers can also add Bloomberg Television.”
The service will be available in the following counties: Illinois – “Cook, DeKalb, DuPage, Grundy, Kane, Kankakee, Kendall, La Salle, Lake, McHenry and Will counties and in Jasper, La Porte, Lake, Newton and Porter counties in Indiana.”
While this is an exciting moment for Aereo they still face a steep challenge in convincing folks to pay a monthly fee for such a small number of basic channels. The key to their success might be to see if they can catapult their success into gaining more channels beyond Bloomberg Television.