Controversial TV-over-internet streamer Aereo will expand its services to Chicago beginning Sept. 13, the New York-based company announced.
Aereo revealed news of the expansion at the TechWeek Chicago conference this week and in a press release sent out today.
The service allows subscribers to pay a small fee to have over-the-air broadcast TV content streamed to their computers, smartphones, tablets, and even Roku, so they can watch it at their convenience even if they don't have a TV or a traditional DVR.
Aereo launched in New York in 2012, and despite frequent legal battles with the likes of CBS and Fox, it continues to expand.
Move over, cities
Aereo is currently available in New York, Boston and Atlanta, despite content providers' attempts to halt the company's progress.
The move to Chicago is part of a planned nationwide rollout on Aereo's part. The service will cover 16 counties in the Chicago area across Illinois and Indiana come September.
Aereo works by recording broadcast television programming and sending it out to subscribers' devices from remote data centers with thousands of individual antennas. Subscriptions begin at $8 per month, but new subscribers get one month free.
"There's no place like Chicago and we're excited to be launching in this world-class city in September," Aereo CEO and Founder Chet Kanojia said in the press release. "Consumers want more choice and flexibility when it comes to how they watch television and the enthusiastic response to our technology from people across the country has been humbling.
"At Aereo, we feel that we've built something meaningful for consumers and we're proud of the work we've accomplished," he continued. "However, there's still much more to come as we continue our expansion into new cities throughout the summer and fall."
- TechRadar went in-depth with a broadcast law expert to find out more about the sticky Aereo/broadcaster situation.
