DETROIT – Cable and satellite TV services beware. Aereo, a free, over-the-air provider of TV channels through the Internet’s cloud, is launching in Southeast Michigan on Oct. 28. Consumers in Lapeer, Livingston, Macomb, Monroe, Oakland, Sanilac, Saint Clair, Washtenaw and Wayne counties will be able to ditch the dish, or cut the cable.
Aereo’s announcement follows its expansion earlier this year to the Boston, Atlanta, Miami, Salt Lake City, Houston and Dallas metropolitan area.
Aereo’s technology works on smart devices from tablets to phones to laptop computers. Aereo is currently supported on iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch and devices running Android operating system version 4.2 or higher. The Aereo Android app will be available for download from the Google Play Store on October 22. Aereo is also supported on Chrome, Safari, Internet Explorer 9, Firefox, Opera, AppleTV (via airplay) and Roku devices.
“We’re thrilled to be launching in the Detroit metro area, the birthplace of Motown and the Motor City,”� said Aereo CEO and Founder Chet Kanojia. “Across the country, the message from consumers is clear: they want more choice and flexibility when it comes to how they watch television and they don’t want to be fenced into outdated and cumbersome technology. Aereo’s cloud-based antenna/DVR technology brings the old-fashioned antenna into the 21st Century, making television watching simple again.”
Detroit metro area residents who pre-register at Aereo.com will receive priority access to sign up. Aereo’s technology will be available to all consumers across the nine-county area on October 28.
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 the Detroit metropolitan region, consumers will be able to use Aereo’s unique antenna/DVR technology to record and watch more than 20 over-the-air channels including major networks such WJBK (Fox), WDIV (NBC), WXYZ (ABC), WTVS (PBS); and special interest channels such as BounceTV, MOVIES!, ThisTV, MyNetworkTV, AntennaTV and Qubo (children’s programming). In addition, consumers will also have the ability to add Bloomberg Television.
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.
