3 Count: Can I Stream It?

Have any suggestions for the 3 Count? Let me know via Twitter @plagiarismtoday.

1: HBO Without Cable, Coming In 2015

First off today, Linda Holmes at NPR is reporting that HBO Chairman and CEO Richard lepler announced that, in 2015, HBO will begin offering its online HBO Go service online without a cable subscription.

Currently, HBO offers HBO Go exclusively to existing subscribers. The company has long tolerated sharing of HBO Go passwords but there has been no official way for cord cutters to legally view new HBO programming online.

The move of offering HBO Go without a cable subscription had been anticipated some time with HBO rumored to have been considering it just last month. The announcement made no mention of price for the Internet-only service.

2: CBS to Offer Stand-Alone Web Subscription Service

Next up today, Emily Steel at The New York Times reports that CBS has also announced a new streaming service, one that will cost $6 per month and will offer a near-continuous live feed of its local stations in 14 markets, though more are expected to sign up later, and on-demand programming.

The service will not provide any DVR or similar functionality and will not include some CBS programming, most notably NFL games. The livestream will also feature the same advertisements as the original network broadcasts but on-demand programming will feature reduced ads and some shows will have none.

The service is expected to work with AppleTV, Roku and Google Chromecast among other providers.

3: Judge Is Skeptical About Aereo’s New Bid for Survival

Finally today, Eriq Gardner at The Hollywood Reporter Esquire reports that Aereo had its day in the lower court, but the judge now seems very skeptical about the company’s arguments in its pitch to stay alive.

Aereo is a TV streaming service that, until recently, used a series of tiny antennas, one per customer, to capture, record and stream over-the-air broadcast television over the Web. Broadcasters sued but Aereo claimed that, since each customer had their own antenna, that their service was non-infringing. Lower courts agreed, including the one they were at yesterday, but the Supreme Court ruled against them, causing Aereo to “pause” its service.

Aereo and the broadcasters met again the federal court, one of the courts overruled by the Supreme Court, to debate the extent of the injunction against Aereo. Aereo is arguing in favor of a narrow injunction, one that doesn’t prevent them from streaming recorded programming, but the broadcasters want a broad one that prevents the company from operating in any way. The judge, however, seemed to find little favor with Aereo’s arguments, asking the company how many bites at the apple it gets and just how a narrow injunction would look in detail.

Suggestions

That’s it for the three count today. We will be back tomorrow with three more copyright links. If you have a link that you want to suggest a link for the column or have any proposals to make it better. Feel free to leave a comment or send me an email. I hope to hear from you.

The 3 Count Logo was created by Justin Goff and is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License.