TV stations explore broadcasting to phone, tablets

— -- Local TV station owners increasingly are working with technology start-ups that want to broadcast their shows to tablets and smartphones.

New ventures Syncbak, Dyle, Mobile500 and Aereo are among those aiming their mobile digital TV technology at consumers who want to eliminate or reduce the cost of their cable or satellite subscriptions.

"It's watching TV in your car or on the train," says Colleen Brown, CEO of TV station owner Fisher Communications. "There will be a time when consumers don't care how they get TV."

•Syncbak, a Marion, Iowa-based company, has partnered with 60 stations nationwide to pilot its technology that streams via a free app to iPhone, iPad and Android devices. "The only thing missing after Netflix and Hulu was live broadcast TV," Syncbak CEO Jack Perry says.

•Dyle, a joint venture of 12 TV station owners, plans to launch a service later this year that will broadcast local TV content over the air for free. Gannett, parent of USA TODAY, is a partner in the venture. Dyle's service for tablets will be available to iPad and Android users willing to pay for a small antenna that connects to the tablet. The broadcast service will be available on cellphones only to the customers of wireless carrier MetroPCS who own a Samsung 4G phone. Salil Dalvi, co-general manager of the Dyle venture and senior vice president of NBC Universal Digital Distribution, says Dyle may become a subscription service in the future.

•Mobile500 Alliance, a joint venture of 50 TV station companies, plans to release an antenna and an iOS app (MyDTV) in the summer that will allow iPhone and iPad users to receive local TV station broadcast signals. At launch, it'll have about 40 stations nationwide that will broadcast through the MyDTV app, says Brown, who also chairs the alliance. Content will be free, but the antenna will cost $50 to $100, she says.

While broadcast TV content is free for users, copyright issues linger. Several broadcasters have sued Aereo, a start-up backed by IAC/Interactive Corp., citing copyright infringement related to its trial subscription service in the New York area.

Aereo runs "a remote antenna farm" that receives local station broadcast and leases each antenna — about the size of a dime — to subscribers for $12 a month. Aereo customers can access it by going to Aereo.com on their iPhone or iPad to access the TV content.

Chet Kanojia, Aereo's CEO, denies copyright violation and says he simply leases antennas.

But other companies that have sought to deliver TV via Internet — Filmon, Ivi.tv, iCravetv — have been blocked by lawsuits from content owners, says Dennis Wharton, executive vice president of communications for the National Association of Broadcasters.

The lack of program options remains an issue. Only a small number of stations nationwide have signed on, meaning many consumers, particularly in small to midsize markets, will not be able to view network stations. Dalvi says the channel lineup will grow. Dyle has signed 91 stations in 35 markets.

Future adoption also depends on viewing quality and consumers' willingness to watch TV on smaller screens, says Roger Entner, an analyst at Recon Analytics. "There might be a market for tablets, but people don't want to pay for it," he says.