Cord-Cutting: Skitter Streams Live TV Legally with Retrans Licenses

  • Skitter has announced an affordable alternative for cord-cutters with its video streaming service that provides local stations via the Internet.
  • “Launched recently in Portland during March 2012, an Atlanta-based video platform company named Skitter has started streaming ten broadcast channels that includes CBS, the CW, TBN and two PBS affiliates at a price of $6 a month for the basic package,” reports Digital Trends.
  • “Accessible through the Roku platform as well as the Western Digital Live set-top box and the Western Digital TV Live Hub, Portland consumers can view upcoming programming through a channel-grid guide and watch live television without the need for an external antenna.”
  • Skitter has plans to launch in five additional markets in the upcoming months that will reportedly include NBC, FOX and ABC. The cost is expected to run $12-15 per month. The company hopes to go nationwide in the future.
  • “A similar service called Aereo launched in New York City earlier this year for a cost of $12 per month, but has come under legal pressure from local broadcasters due to claims of copyright infringement. While the concept of the service is the same, Skitter is avoiding the legal kerfuffle by obtaining retransmission licenses from broadcasters in order to bring the service direct to consumers. Skitter was already acquiring these licenses to sell their technology to telco operators in areas around the country,” explains the article.

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