Amazon has pulled listings for a popular NextGen TV device over unsubstantiated and unfounded concerns that the boxes enable live television piracy, according to numerous e-mails and messages reviewed by The Desk.
The situation has plagued BitRouter, the developer of the ZapperBox, for several weeks, with no explanation as to why the certified NextGen TV devices have been removed from Amazon’s online retail store in the United States.
The ZapperBox ranges in price from $200 to $350, depending on the features consumers want. The device enables TV viewers to use a conventional over-the-air antenna for reception of ATSC 3.0 broadcast signals, also known as NextGen TV.
The device has received approvals and endorsements from ATSC and NextGen TV stakeholders in the United States, and is one of the few consumer boxes that allows over-the-air TV viewers to legitimately receive broadcast signals that are encrypted using Digital Rights Management (DRM) technology.
While the use of DRM technology is controversial among some TV viewers and a few broadcasters, the commercial TV industry largely supports the technology because it prevents unauthorized viewers from receiving and redistributing live TV signals, especially high-value sports telecasts. It also allows broadcasters to ensure their signals are receivable only in intended communities, which improves their ability to sell targeted advertising.
For some reason, Amazon thinks BitRouter is part of the problem, instead of the solution. Since early June, the retailer has pulled the device multiple times form its online store, according to e-mails and other records reviewed by The Desk.
The problem seems to hinge on BitRouter’s insistence on promoting the ZapperBox as a solution for live TV — which it does. Amazon has interpreted this to mean that the ZapperBox enables live TV piracy, which it doesn’t.
In conversations with The Desk this week, BitRouter President Gopal Miglani said he believes the matter stems from a recent federal court decision that requires Amazon and other online retailers to remove actual pirate TV devices known as the SuperBox. He thinks the ZapperBox is being swept up in that mess because employees at Amazon who are tasked with removing illegal items from their online store do not understand what the ZapperBox does.
An Amazon associate ultimately told Miglani that other devices made by Sony, LG and Samsung that also promote the reception of live TV had applied for and obtained an “exception” to be listed in the online store, and said BitRouter could apply for the same exception, but did not further details or instructions, Miglani said.
As this story was being researched, Amazon restored the online listing for a few ZapperBox models, but Miglani has little faith that the product will remain available in Amazon’s store on a permanent basis because the ZapperBox has been listed and de-listed multiple times over the past month. He also accused Amazon of losing inventory valued at thousands of dollars due to poor warehouse management practices, and said BitRouter is looking for ways to fulfill Amazon-placed orders on its own.
An e-mail sent to Amazon’s public relations team has not yet been returned. Antenna Land, a blog from technology journalist Jim Kimble, was the first to report on the issue between BitRouter and Amazon after Miglani sent a mass e-mail to reporters about the matter on Tuesday.
The situation is particularly problematic because numerous industry stakeholders like Pearl TV, Sinclair’s One Media and the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) are pushing federal regulators to support a firm transition from the current digital broadcast standard to NextGen TV within the next few years.
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is weighing a proposal with significant industry backing that would allow broadcasters to switch off their current broadcast signals and transmit via NextGen TV on a full-time basis by 2030, with some major cities seeing the transition occur as soon as 2028.
While the FCC has yet to act on the proposal, groups like the NAB and Pearl TV are confident that regulators will approve the measure. Proponents of the transition say manufacturers are increasingly embracing the integration of NextGen TV tuners in their devices, TVs with NextGen TV technology are becoming more common at brick-and-mortar retailers, and there are proposals to help bring down the cost of converter boxes that most Americans will need if they want to watch broadcast channels with their current TVs in the coming years.
The back-and-forth between BitRouter and Amazon is concerning because it raises the possibility that retailers, who might not fully be aware of the legitimacy of NextGen TV devices like the ZapperBox, could make it harder for consumers to receive the devices they need.
Reached by e-mail on Friday, Pearl TV Managing Director Anne Schelle said the organization appreciates retailers like Amazon doing what they can to thwart piracy by removing problematic TV devices from their stores, but she also noted more needs to be done so that legitimate devices like the ZapperBox are not confused with illegal streamers like the SuperBox.
“Pearl TV strongly supports retailers’ efforts to prevent the sale of devices that facilitate content piracy; at the same time, it is critical that legitimate over-the-air television receivers designed to receive free broadcast television with an antenna are clearly distinguished from piracy devices,” Shelle wrote.
She continued: “As broadcasters transition from ATSC 1.0 to NextGen TV (ATSC 3.0), consumers must continue to have access to capable reception devices. Actions that inadvertently remove legitimate (over-the-air) products from the marketplace create unnecessary consumer confusion and undermine the industry’s efforts to educate consumers about the transition. We look forward to working with retailers and industry partners to ensure legitimate products remain available while preventing the sale of devices intended for piracy.”
Should the ZapperBox be removed from Amazon in the future, BitRouter will continue to sell them via their own website.
More Stories
- TV affiliate groups to FCC: Broadcasters face increased pressure from networks, streaming services
- Pearl TV launches program for affordable NextGen TV boxes
- Lawmakers: FCC should mandate NextGen TV switch to spur consumer interest
- BitRouter begins testing ZapperBox whole-home NextGen TV delivery
- Comcast’s NBCUniversal invests in NextGen TV group
