Airwavz.tv is catering to cord cutters and cord shavers by bringing game action to fans who don’t have a cable subscription.
A phone case with a built-in antenna turns smartphones and tablets into a mobile television via free broadcast signals and without the use of data or Wi-Fi. To Airwavz.tv’s knowledge, its Quarterback product is the only offering on the market which works outside of the home, has its broadcast functionality and can be utilized on-the-go to watch sports content.
Following a year and a half of experimenting and now with a working prototype, Chief Executive Officer and Founder Bonnie Beeman said that a crowdfunding campaign is “the next logical step” in the evolution of Quarterback, which Airwavz.tv formally announced Wednesday.
One of the major caveats of Airwavz.tv’s Quarterback case, though, is that it’s only compatible with select stations based on a consumer’s location. Overall, the new mobile and tablet technology supports television stations two through 51 for now.
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Beeman said that the company “solved some very hard science with Quarterback” and now Airwavz.tv wants to “explore how interested people are in having a fifth wireless connection to fantastic content,” with backers now able to purchase a case for $199 versus the anticipated retail price of $249. Still, Beeman cited that channels fans receive may be inconsistent in quality as they’re impacted by weather, building infrastructure and terrain, too.
In markets like Seattle, where the startup company is based, she said that Quarterback can broadcast roughly 25 high definition digital television channels, including FOX, NBC, ABC and CBS. For higher-profile sporting events like the Olympics, NBA Finals and World Series, fans would theoretically have access to those via the platform.
According to Beeman, the plan is to begin shipping the product, which is available for select Samsung and Apple devices, to financial backers in the latter half of this year.