FilmOn Takes Big Four Down In D.C.

FilmOn founder Alki David told B&C Multichannel News Thursday night that the network affiliates in the markets covered by a D.C. Circuit court injunction against the service--that's all markets except those under the Second Circuit--would be taken off his over-the-top video subscription service, and that appears to be the case.

As of Friday, local D.C. network affiliates were no longer available on the service--although some local stations including noncommercial WETA and WHUT--actually it is commercial WETA and WHUT on FilmOn since there is an ad before the station loads--were still being offered. According to Michael Kilgore of FTABlog.com, Big Four stations were also gone in two other FilmOn non-Second circuit markets, Denver and Chicago.

D.C. U.S. District Judge Rosemary Collyer Thursday rejected FilmOn's request for an emergency stay of the injunction, but he told B&C/Multi he plans to challenge that decision in federal Court.

John Eggerton

Contributing editor John Eggerton has been an editor and/or writer on media regulation, legislation and policy for over four decades, including covering the FCC, FTC, Congress, the major media trade associations, and the federal courts. In addition to Multichannel News and Broadcasting + Cable, his work has appeared in Radio World, TV Technology, TV Fax, This Week in Consumer Electronics, Variety and the Encyclopedia Britannica.