Aereo + Netflix + Amazon = Who Needs Cable?

When Aereo founder Chet Kanojia looked at TV viewership data, he saw a business opportunity in these numbers: only about 30 percent of viewers only watched broadcast TV,  but often were forced to pay cable providers for many more channels they had no interest in. So Kanojia began exploring how to create a new viewing mechanism for broadcast networks’ content — over the internet. Then, 2008′s Cablevision ruling essentially allowed network TV to be recorded via DVR. Kanojia tells CNET he knew he could advance his idea of providing network DVR via antenna.

And that’s exactly what he did. Aereo, currently only offered in the New York area, captures broadcast signals with dime-sized antennas and then sends those signals to Internet-connected devices for a subscription fee of $12 a month.

It’s instructive to the larger battle between content and platform creators that in Aereo’s case, Kanojia attempted to negotiate with broadcasters from the outset:

You never get a reaction from some of these people and when you do, you get [he crosses his arms and scowls and says], “Yeah? We’ll see.” That’s just foolish.

Read the full interview for Kanojia’s assertions and observations about why he just won a court ruling that allows his service to move forward.