We just got word that a Mac version of the Internet TV service Livestation could be released to the public as early as next month. For those that don’t know, Livestation is a desktop app built on Microsoft’s Silverlight front-end that utilizes peer-to-peer technology to deliverer live TV to a user’s PC (currently Windows-only). The software has been developed by UK startup, Skinkers, and is in-part based on additional technology licensed from Microsoft Research (who got a small amount of equity in return).
In terms of content, Livestation focuses on 24 hour news stations. Formal licensing agreements include Al Jazeera, BBC World News, Bloomberg Television, EuroNews (English, French, Italian and Spanish), France 24, i>Tele, Russia Today and BBC World Service.
The most recent version of Livestation also offers a new aggregation feature called ‘My Channels’ in which users can add their own Internet TV streams by pasting a URL into the Livestation player. These unofficial streams are also offered in a directory on Livestation’s website.
We’re told that the new Mac version of Livestation will be offered to a small team of volunteer testers next week – which includes last100 – as the company gears up for the public release early next month.
Is this content licensed in the US, I wonder? I have this theory that the market for dedicated hardware placeshifting (ala Slingbox) has peaked and services like this, Hulu, etc will suffice for most.
@ Dave Zatz
Yes some channels are licensed in the US. In fact BBC World News is geo-blocked so that UK viewers can’t access it but US viewers can!
Such is the public service regulations around BBC content.