After a 6-3 Supreme Court ruling against its broadcasting practices, Aereo is shuttering its service — at least for now.
Aereo is a video streaming service that put over-the-air signals on tablets, phones and computers for $8 to $12 per month. It was widely seen as an alternative for people who wanted to get rid of cable or satellite.
The Supreme Court said Aereo violated copyright law by distributing signals from traditional broadcasters to its subscribers.
Time's doom and gloom headline from an article Saturday says the streaming service is ultimately "gone for good." The writer declared the company "dead" after the ruling.
But the ruling doesn't mean Aereo is completely out of business — at least according to the company. Forbes quoted a letter the CEO sent to customers saying: "We have decided to pause our operations temporarily as we consult with the court and map out our next steps."
CNET points out Aereo officially went off the air just before noon Eastern time on Saturday — meaning its roughly 100,000 users will now have to watch their favorite shows another way.
A writer for VentureBeat says many experts don't expect Aereo to come back after pulling the plug — mostly because it would have to start paying licensing fees if it wanted to air the shows it aired in the past.
USA Today points out that while Aereo was running, it was only available in 11 different cities — meaning the majority of Americans never even had access to it.
Aereo says it will give all of its customers a full refund for their last paid month of service.
