[rnbmusicfan]

I'm in the Philly region and it appears that the PBS stations that were added last, all now have the guide info but say in Channel Negotiations... It looks like they lost PBS.

Also Buzzr, which I thought was a free channel and even available on the Roku Channel free channels sections, has a message In Channel Negotiations.

They did get Cozi and recording is permitted, even though it is owned by Comcast, and Local BTV doesn't have NBC.

I really like their app. I suggested on another thread, it'd be great if FrndlyTV used their app and the two merged. Frndly has a billing system in place already and is in process of adding the MeTV suite of channels. It could use their app and Cozi, Antenna and renegotiate with PBS. That'd be an excellent combination.

Oddly, Local BTV also carries the primary signal of WPHL, owned by Nexstar, while YouTubeTV and Hulu Live do not have this channel.

While I like the app and concept, I don't really understand Local BTV's business model and how they have been in trial for so long. They made it sound like they would get all the broadcast networks like ABC NBC and CBS, and then have a subscription for it, but every month goes by, and I don't see how it is viable.

 

[rnbmusicfan]

The dvr system is a paid service, simply streaming the live channels by the public is free (to the public). That plus the 'reverse' retransmission fees is what powers LocalBTV. Stations get their signal out to to a much broader market, IF without that system a wide enough audience is unable to recieve those channels, either through ota, or reasonable cost cable/satellite or other means. This was the flaw in LocalBTVs expansion throughout 2020-21. It seemed none (or few) of those markets had extensive numbers of viewers that met enough of those demographics.

For years the way the broadcast licence laws were written from the 1920s through the 1950s, retransmission of signals on the public airways through any medium was allowed within certain restrictions, which aereo and later locast believe they were within. The fact that some shaving of those laws were done in the 90s, which were never tested in the supreme court (and which lower courts have made decisions on without any guidance on whether the original laws from earlier decades could be thrown out or mangled) simply shows that neither aereo or locast had the money to take the case(s) forward, which shows the biggest flaw in the american legal system: those with the gold get the real final decision, or no real decision. And the broadcasters who now make more from their retransmission consent instead of adverts, have the illgotten gold (thanks to congress passing potentially unconstitutional laws, never tested by the Supremes, which remain in force).

So the entire American broadcasting regime, supposedly built on 'public' airways, is down a rabbit hole which will take some billionaire or two to dig it out of. If ever. An entire couple of generations of community resources which were dedicated to bringing distant signals to far flung communities have now been lost. New technologies could help bring it back into balance, but not if it keeps getting strangled in the crib.

I have the app on my roku and the DVR is free. Local BTV is technically all free in Philly. The intent was for them to get agreements with all major networks and then start charging. The problem is they haven't made agreements with the networks and just have some independent stations.

In Philly, the valuable channels are WPHL (primary signal), Antenna TV off its subchannel, and Cozi TV off of WCAU, get TV, and one non PBS non commercial educational station off WLVT that isn't blocked by PBS negotiations. They also have NewsNet but that's available free elsewhere.

They have some other channels that are mostly infomercial. I'd delete the app but like the few channels listed above.

 

[rnbmusicfan]

It appears that Local BTV lost the Nexstar channels after losing PBS. In Philly, this includes WPHL 17 primary and Antenna TV. In NYC, it means Antenna and Rewind TV are gone. One nicety is being able to record classic tv using its dvr.

Local BTV still has Cozi and getTV though, but it's usefulness is getting diminished. It still has NHK World from my local PBS, NewsNet and a few other smaller networks that are nice but it lacks too many of the other digitnets that are available over the air.

Also from touting they will be getting all locals to losing locals isn't a good sign. I'm surprised it managed to get a deal for Cozi via NBC but it might NBC is allowing just the local feeds not the national feed being distributed free.

I like Local BTV's guide and picture in picture availability, and wish frndlyTV or Philo would adopt Local BTV's EPG.

 

[rnbmusicfan]

Any danger of Local BTV losing Decades or MeTV?

No danger as local btv doesn't carry those channels.