Way back in 2013, I was a vocal advocate for a start-up company named Aereo. Aereo streamed local television stations using mini-antennas that customers “rented”. The service also provided DVR capability, so users not only could watch a local channel but record shows as well. The corporations that own all these TV networks (as well as many cable and satellite providers) were not very happy, and sued the service into oblivion. Aereo ended up shuddering in 2014.
Well, it’s back. Kinda. Locast.org is a non-profit service that offers users access to local TV over the internet. They don’t offer DVR capability but they DO offer a (limited) liuve-TV pausing feature.
I cut the cord many months ago, and use Amazon Prime and Pluto TV for my TV viewing. So, discovering this service, courtesy of consumer reporter Clark Howard, made my month. You not only get local channels but also all the “sub-channels” that are broadcast digitally. Since I live in one of the few markets that Locast supports (Atlanta) I can watch MeTV, Cozi, Decades and a whole lot of the “retro” channels that broadcast classic TV.
Since I love college football and baseball, I was trying to figure out what I would do when these events start (or resume, as is the case for MLB). Locast solves this problem for me. I won’t be able to watch every game on ESPN, but watching games on local TV will more than suffice.
Locast,org scratches another itch: I live 40-some-odd miles from downtown Atlanta. Because of the many hills and valleys between me and the TV transmission towers, the use of a physical antenna is a non-starter. I’d LOVE to be able to get “over-the-air” signals, but except for a couple of channels I get (quoting Khan Noonian Singh) nothing but static.
Locast is donation supported, so if you can use the service I highly recommend setting up a payment plan to automatically give them some cash every month. Even if it’s only $5, it will help.
Check it out: Locast.org.