Aereo sets Chicago launch

Aereo’s local broadcast streaming service launches in the Chicagoland area on 9/13, continuing the company’s nationwide rollout. The expansion will cover 16 counties across Illinois and Indiana.  Aereo’s technology is currently available to consumers in the New York City, Boston and Atlanta DMAs.

“There’s no place like Chicago and we’re excited to be launching in this world-class city in September,” said Aereo CEO and Founder Chet Kanojia. “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. However, there’s still much more to come as we continue our expansion into new cities throughout the summer and fall.”

Aereo’s innovative remote (cloud-based) antenna/DVR technology makes watching television simple and user-friendly.  Using Aereo’s technology, consumers can pause, rewind and fast-forward any program that they are watching live, or save a program for future viewing.  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 other-the-air special interest and foreign language channels. In addition, consumers can also add Bloomberg Television.

Aereo works on ‘smart’ devices from tablets to phones to laptop computers.  Aereo is currently supported on iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch, Chrome, Internet Explorer 9, Firefox, Safari, Opera, AppleTV (via airplay) and Roku devices.  Android support is expected later this year.

Aereo membership begins at $8 per month, for access to Aereo’s cloud-based antenna/DVR technology and 20 hours of DVR storage. For an additional $4, consumers can upgrade their membership and receive 60 hours of DVR storage for a total of $12 per month.  Consumers who join Aereo will get their first of month of access for free.