WILMINGTON, Delaware — Aereo Inc.’s quest to shake up the television industry with its online-streaming service has come to an end.

The Barry Diller-backed startup sought bankruptcy protection after the U.S. Supreme Court in June agreed with broadcasters that its TV service violated programming copyright protections. Aereo filed bankruptcy “to preserve estate value as it works toward its goal of consummating a sale of substantially all of its assets, recapitalizing or entering into some other reorganization transaction,” Chief Financial Officer Ramon Rivera said Thursday in a court filing.

The Supreme Court in the 6-3 ruling on June 25 rang the death knell for Aereo, handing a victory to broadcast giants including CBS, Walt Disney Co.’s ABC, Comcast’s NBCUniversal and 21st Century Fox. Aereo’s failure eliminates an alternative to cable and satellite bundles, which can cost $100 a month and include channels most subscribers don’t watch.

“The challenges have proven too difficult to overcome,” Aereo Chief Executive Officer Chet Kanojia said in a blog post. “We believe that we have played a significant part in pushing the conversation forward, helping force positive change in the industry for consumers.”

The company appointed Lawton Bloom of Argus as chief restructuring officer. The Internet startup strived to revolutionize broadcast TV viewing, offering live and recorded broadcast programs for as little as $8 a month.

The company designed its business to bypass federal law that gives copyright holders the exclusive right to perform its work publicly. The startup used individual dime-sized antennas for each customer to provide service in 11 cities and planned to expand into other markets, without paying retransmission fees for the programming.

Diller, 72, the co-creator of the Fox Broadcasting Co. and former chairman and CEO of the film studio Paramount Pictures Corp., lamented the Supreme Court’s decision, saying at the time in a statement it would stifle innovation and ultimately hurt consumers the most.


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