Aereo Brings Free Over-The-Air TV And Cloud DVR To Boston May 15

Aereo has just announced its first expansion beyond New York City, and the city it’s moving to next is Boston. Bostonians will gain access to the startup’s free, over-the-air TV services and usage-based cloud DVR subscription options beginning May 15, indicating it’s full-speed ahead for the media startup despite its ongoing legal battles with networks and broadcasters.

Expansion to Boston opens up access to Aereo to over 4.5 million new customers, and the first in line will be those who pre-registered their interest an Aereo.com. General availability will open up about two weeks after that on May 30. Aereo tech is currently available to stream content on iPad, iPhone, Chrome, IE9, Firefox, Safari, Roku and more. The company has offices in Boston’s Innovation District, and already employs over 60 people in the region, according to a press release from Aereo.

Aereo’s Boston coverage will include 28 broadcast channels, including CBS, NBC, Fox, and ABC, and will be offered to residents living in the 16 counties in Massachusetts. The company plans to show off the product in action tonight at a startup event in Boston proper. Boston is the first in a series of planned expansions for this year, which the company announced back in January alongside news of its $38 million series B funding round.

The rollout was said to be getting started in Spring of this year, so it looks like the lawsuits against it haven’t put a dent in its expansion plans thus far. Also on the list for Aereo’s 2013 growth areĀ Atlanta, Austin, Baltimore, Birmingham (AL), Chicago, Cleveland, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Houston, Kansas City, Madison (WI), Miami, Minneapolis, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Providence (RI), Raleigh-Durham (NC), Salt Lake City, Tampa, and Washington D.C.

Jordan interviewed Aereo CEO Chet Kanojia earlier this month about the company’s leag issues, and he said that while it’s a “financial” and “legal drain,” the company is still focused on developing more partnerships as it continues to grow.