Another $35 site

They could (assuming they negotiated it with the networks and all of their affiliates), but it would have to be a West Coast market just as DBS DNS must be time zone appropriate.

I'd stick with your initial inclination that this is a quick money grab that will be shut down in due course.

 

Can’t find the app on AFTV or Roku.

 

What's fishy to me is how little fanfare there is around this launch. Wouldn't having legit licensing deals in place with dozens of content providers cost in the millions, if not tens of millions, of dollars? (especially with unrestricted DVR functions). If you Google this service, the only thing that comes up is the Cord Cutters News article and articles on the provider's own blog (and places to download the app). If you were to spend so much to set up a service of this nature, wouldn't you have a better PR/marketing campaign in place to announce the launch. Even a "soft launch" wouldn't receive this small amount of coverage in the online media, which seems eager to post anything related to cord cutting these days, given how clickbait-worthy such articles can be. I know self-publishing authors who will put more effort into promoting a $10 eBook on the best hiking trails in the county. Either these licensing deals aren't legit or this owner is the worst businessman in the industry. Either way this service won't be around long.

 

Just the fact they are offering NY locals nationwide is all I need to know about how legit the service is. There is no way ABC/CBS/NBC/FOX would sign off on that. Affiliates would be fighting that tooth and nail not to mention the NFL.

Advertising no sports blackouts is another sign, ESPN does not have many blackouts but they do have some, no way they would agree to that.

 

From their site:

Other streaming services have some sports blackouts, Does SkyStream TV have any blackouts?
(Tue, 17 Jul, 2018)
Our contract with the channels we offer ensures that there are no sports blackouts period!


There is zero chance Disney or Turner signed a contract with them saying they did not have to blackout the MLB games that require blackouts in market. Absolutely zero. I remember when NPS/SkyVision use to resell HITS on C-Band, they could not offer ESPN because they were unable to setup blackouts. Those networks and leagues are very strict about that.

Won't even get into bringing out of market NFL games without ordering Sunday Ticket.

 

The Roku channel is a private code, guessing Roku is not going to approve such a shady service for the public store. (Another sign something isn't quite right)

 

The comments in the CCN article are very informative and entertaining. One guy (Randy Smith) who claims to work as a private contractor to sniff out scammers and fraudulent services for Amazon wrote:

flags to look for:
1. Does the website of the business feature original content or is it simply copied from another website. Answer: copied
2. Is the product or service cheaper than competitors offering the same exact product or service. Answer: yes.
3. Are there obvious attempts from representatives of the company attempting to influence potential customers with fake reviews or forum posts pretending to be customers? Answer: yes.
4. Is there anything else suspicious or obviously illegal about this product or service? Answer: yes. Network affiliates are, by law, only allowed to retransmit within their footprint, or native area, and not allowed to retransmit outside that area.
5. Other notes: SkyStream was previously a distributer of pirated proprietary content commonly found on Kodi boxes.

These all point toward a high probability that this company is operating fraudulently

In a separate post: I already contacted the FTC so the ball is in their court. My work is done. Time to grab the popcorn and watch the meltdown.​

Another guy commenting on the same similarities msmith198025 pointed out above added:

Yesterday I looked at the source code of the site and there were a few references to "huluassets." Looking at the site, it looks lifted from the Hulu Live page.
​

And a John Doe pointed to the obvious:

Their FAQ has a question which asks, “Is This Legal?”

Doesn’t sound like a question that a legit service would need to answer.​

​

 

I think HDHomerun Premium TV put some effort into getting their product discussed in legit tech media, and from what I can tell from a quick Google search, no one seems to be questioning whether it's legal.

 

HDHomerun Premium TV is from a legit company, does not offer out of market locals and did not advertise that they don't have sports blackouts....

I am surprised Cord Cutters News is promoting and affiliating with them, as poor as that site was editing/research wise I at least considered them to be honest. Hard to believe they think this service is legit, guessing they won't be around much longer either.