Major broadcast-television networks have filed suit against two start-up companies that stream TV stations online without their consent, arguing copyright infringement… Ivi and FilmOn both convert free over-the-air broadcast signals into online television streams, allowing users to watch streaming TV on a computer… Both companies claim the right to distribute the networks under a provision in the U.S. Copyright Act… At heart of the legal battle is an increasing battle for control as traditional media conglomerates find their old business models eroded as access to content develops in cheaper, more accessible, digitally-based ways.
When the technology in consumers’ hands exceeds the business model of content providers, tech trumps.
Two women got in a fight on national network news over a Black Friday TV deal at Target – apparently for the Vizio M220NV with WiFi and Internet apps. It is just one of an increasingly number of new flat-screens with Internet connectivity and built-in support for such as Netflix (eventually Hulu and YouTube). The question then becomes why one cannot watch a live stream of the Today Show in the mornings over such a TV set (not to mention laptops, mobiles and tablets). The answer is not technical. And as devices such as the M220NV become increasingly common in the home, they are going to create the same problem for networks that newspapers have been facing now for more than a decade. And look where newspapers have wound up.
