Locast was an American non-profit streaming television service that allowed users to view live streams of over-the-air television stations. The service was founded by attorney David Goodfriend under the banner of the Sports Fans Coalition.

Launched in New York City in January 2018, Locast expanded to media markets throughout the United States as well as Puerto Rico before suspending service on September 2, 2021 after an adverse decision by the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York centering on copyright issues.

Locast was similar to Aereo, which operated on a commercial basis with users paying to lease individual antennas placed in nearby warehouses.^[1] Aereo was shut down following a copyright infringement lawsuit by the major networks over the retransmission of their programming without consent and compensation. Locast was intended as a test case for the proposition that a service of this nature would be legal if operated on a non-profit basis.

Locast cited an exception in United States copyright law that allows retransmission of television signals by non-commercial entities at no charge, aside from that required to maintain the service's operations. Viewers were restricted from viewing stations outside of their market through geofencing on their viewing platform, though if traveling to another Locast market, they could view that market's stations instead.

In July 2019, the parent companies of the four major U.S. broadcast networks sued Locast, alleging that the service violated copyright law. The plaintiffs also alleged that Locast undermined its non-profit status by accepting financial support and promotion from cable and satellite companies. The networks maintained that Locast gave the carriers an unfair negotiating advantage during carriage disputes that prevented them from retransmitting local programming. Locast filed a countersuit, arguing that its service complied with the aforementioned exceptions and accusing the networks of colluding to limit the availability of their programming via free-to-air means in order to protect the pay television industry.

On August 31, 2021, a federal judge denied Locast's request for a summary judgment. Locast suspended operations and was subsequently ordered to do so permanently.

Locast sourced its signals from antennas in each market it served. The service required a minimum donation of US$5 per month to view programming without interruption.

Locast was accessible via web browsers, Android and iOS apps, some set-top boxes, as well as Apple TV, Fire TV, Roku, Vizio SmartCast TVs and Android TV devices (the latter including the TiVo Stream), and could be cast to larger screens using AirPlay and Google Cast.^[2][3][4] After registering, viewers were presented with a programming grid from which to select a channel. Programming was periodically interrupted to solicit for donations until one was made; the suggested minimum contribution was $5.00 plus a 50¢ processing fee per month. The service offered no recording features.^[5]

Goodfriend was a media legal adviser to an FCC commissioner and an executive at Dish Network.^[6] He conceived of Locast while lecturing at Georgetown University Law Center on the demise of Aereo, which offered over-the-air television signals via streaming without negotiating with broadcasters for the privilege as required by the retransmission consent provision of the Cable Television Consumer Protection and Competition Act. Aereo attempted to justify its legality by leasing to users an individual antenna typically located in a nearby warehouse. After broadcasters sued, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 2014 that the company had violated copyright law. Aereo declared bankruptcy shortly afterward. Goodfriend surmised that a non-profit organization would be exempt from the provision; Locast became his proof of concept. "Locast" is a portmanteau of "local" and "broadcast".^[7][8][9]

Goodfriend initially funded the service via a line of credit from an undisclosed entrepreneur.^[10] The site then solicited user donations. In January 2018, Locast went online in New York as a service of the Sports Fans Coalition, a non-profit advocacy group chaired by Goodfriend.^[11] The city's television stations were neither notified nor compensated.^[8] Broadcast signals were received by a four-foot antenna mounted on the Trump International Hotel and Tower in Manhattan.^[7] Locast subsequently expanded the service to other U.S. media markets, as well as Puerto Rico.^[12][13]

Several television providers directed subscribers to Locast as a way of maintaining access to programming during carriage disputes, such as Charter Communications during a January 2019 dispute with Tribune Media,^[7] and DirecTV in a July 2019 dispute affecting CBS-owned stations. Both AT&T and Dish Network added Locast apps to their set-top boxes, including devices for DirecTV, AT&T U-Verse, and Dish via its Hopper set-top.^[14][10] In 2021, Sling TV integrated Locast's channels into Sling TV's program guide listing for some devices with possible future expansion to other devices.^[15]

By November 2020, viewer donations had offset expenses, sufficient to pay for operations and finance expansion into new markets. Capital costs for each location included leasing space for equipment, an antenna, servers and network services.^[16]

As of July 2021, the service was available to 179 million viewers in media markets representing 55 percent of the U.S. population,^[37][13] as well as across Puerto Rico.^[12] To use the service, a viewer had to be in one of these markets and could only watch channels local to that market.^[38]

• LocalBTV
• Puffer (research study)