Checking in with our fearless leader and CEO. This month, we’re talking to Chet about what lies ahead after the court ruling in favor of Aereo. Going forward, we’ll be taking your questions for him through Twitter with #ChetChat. Follow us to submit questions for next month!
Big month for Aereo! What is your current state of mind?
We’re all very excited but I haven’t had much sleep. So, I don’t know what my state of mind is.
You’re tired but happy.
Exactly.
What does the future hold for Aereo?
We will put our energy and focus on building Aereo as we envisioned. We are excited to be able to show as many consumers as possible how beautiful, intuitive and easy Aereo is to use.
How is public demand?
I’m constantly surprised by the intensity of consumer reaction. People increasingly understand where Aereo fits in their lifestyles and what great value it can provide, without any encumbrances, software to install, equipment, boxes, wires or installers. The passionate and positive response we get from people is humbling and inspiring. And, particularly over these last two or three months, it’s been really rewarding to see that people actually care deeply about what we’re doing.
Are we one step closer to an a la carte system where consumers can choose the content they want and only the content they want?
We hope so, don’t we! That’s the Holy Grail. That’s our goal, our ambition. I think that’s what the consumer really wants – I mean, who doesn’t want absolute choice rather than having one product or service tied to another?
People are craving more choice. That leads to the next question; what are our plans for expansion?
Coming to a city near you! Very soon, hopefully. Making Aereo available to people in markets with a high concentration of mobile devices and strong broadband connections makes sense intuitively, so, figuring our how to reach these folks will be our focus for the next 12 months.
Do you feel like this court decision was a landmark moment for the TV industry?
It really does feel like that, but time will tell. This is the first time that something like this has happened in a long time. I think the Sony Betamax decision, when consumers got the right to be able to record things on their own, was a landmark moment. That set the ball rolling towards a completely new industry – the home video industry was born out of that. I think we are at a similar point where the Internet is finally getting figured into the equation as a place where consumers are going to access content. It feels like a very important moment for the industry and for consumers. We want to capitalize on this momentum to make a meaningful impact for consumers.
And here’s Chet addressing Aereo’s remarkable technology and new directions for consumers…
