Portland Broadcast Affiliates Pull Signals From Skitter TV

Networks asked to review retrans agreements originally signed with local telco

By Todd Spangler, Multichannel News -- Broadcasting & Cable, 5/10/2012 4:57:40 PM

The ABC, CBS, Fox and NBC broadcast affiliates in Portland, Ore., have told Internet TV venture Skitter to stop distributing their network feeds as they "review our retransmission agreements," according to a notice the startup sent to subscribers.

Skitter, founded in 2009, is aiming to deliver broadcast TV programming over broadband to subscribers in local markets via a range of connected TV devices, pitching it as a lower-cost option than cable TV.

In the initial Portland market, the company has a partnership with Stayton, Ore.-based Stayton Cooperative Telephone Co., which is planning to offer an IPTV service based on Skitter's technology, according to Skitter. As part of the partnership with the telco, Skitter had been expecting to leverage the retrans agreements TV stations signed with Stayton Cooperative Telephone Co. to offer its own direct-to-consumer service.

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