Locast a new live TV streaming service today launched in New York City to offer access to 13 stations including ABC, CBS, FOX, & NBC. The launch is timed to be ready for the big weekend of football that is about to happen this week. The catch is they are not paying anyone for the stations they are airing.
Update: At this time http://locast.org is down likely from a high number of users trying to access the site.
Locast parent company Sports Fans Coalition is a nonprofit and says they have an exception in the FCC rules that allows them to air locals without paying them for the service. They are hoping to be protected by Title 17, Chapter 1, section 111 a) 5 of the Copyright Act a section that allows non-profits to avoid many of the fees companies would typically pay.
The Sports Fan Coalition was created for the purpose of launching Locast and is headed by David Goodfriend. The question now is how will broadcasters react to this new service but Goodfriend is no stranger to pushing back against broadcasters and the NFL.
Goodfriend did try to get backing from Google, Dish, and The Weather Channel, but was unable to find any interest. For now, he is hoping to get donations to help cover the costs of the service.
When asked about what he thought would happen Goodfriend told Multichannel News. Goodfriend went on to say “We’re going to give it a shot and we’re going to get sued.” He is likely right that he will be sued and this case will likely have the attention of many of the largest media owners in the United States.
Source: Multichannel News
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