Aereo 'pauses' streaming TV service in wake of Supreme Court loss

That didn't take long. Now that the US Supreme Court has ruled that Aereo's antenna-to-cloud TV service is violating copyright, the company is telling customers that it will "pause" service as of 11:30AM Eastern; after that, it's lights-out for both live and recorded streaming. As compensation, Aereo is refunding subscribers' last paid month of service. The startup is adamant that the shutdown is temporary, and is talking to the lower court that previously ruled in its favor (and which has to deal with Aereo's case again) about the "next steps."

We wouldn't count on Aereo resuming service, at least not with its original business model. The Supreme Court ruled that Aereo is putting on a performance like a cable provider, and that's at the very heart of broadcasters' allegations -- they believe it's retransmitting TV without the appropriate permissions and fees. If the company's offering returns at all, it may carry significantly different pricing or usage rights.