Aereo, a Boston, Massachusetts-based company that gave its users the ability to watch actual live TV from pretty much any mobile device, officially filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy back in November of this year. Just this past Wednesday, in Manhattan, NY, Judge Sean Lane of the United States Bankruptcy Court gave the former Internet TV streaming company permission to auction off the remainder of its streaming TV technology assets to the highest bidder.

The decision apparently came after an agreement over the sale process was finally reached with four television broadcasters, NBC, ABC, CBS and Fox. A stipulation of the agreement requires Aereo to allow all four of the aforementioned broadcasters to monitor and be involved in the auction. Additionally, the company must provide them with updates on the status of sale process each week.

The 2-year-old TV streaming service was officially shut down around five months before it initially filed for bankruptcy, when the United States Supreme Court ruled in a 6 to 3 vote that the concept of the TV-over-the-web Aereo company violates the Copyright Act. The court claimed at the time the ruling was made, that Aereo was not “merely an equipment provider.”

The former TV streaming company had provided its users access to broadcast TV channel programming over the Web without the use of any extra equipment. It used tiny antennas to capture broadcast TV signals. All of Aereo’s customers were assigned their own antenna and were charged anywhere from $8.00 to $12.00 per month to be able to stream live television broadcasts via their computers, smartphones or other mobile devices.

Aereo’s argument was the fact that it merely provided storage for its customers’ content; however, the TV broadcasters accused the company of rebroadcasting, copyright infringement and making money off its content.

Aereo currently has 17 potential buyers lined up to bid for its remaining assets. The bids will be due on February 20, 2015.

Aereo have been dealt at least half a dozen blows, but are still (just) standing. And on Thursday they got another kick in the teeth when US judge Alison Nathan banned them from streaming live TV via the web.

The copyright-infringement case which has been brought against Aereo by US broadcasters who want to shut down Aereo’s ‘Watch Now’ service that lets subscribers watch live TV streaming.

Judge Nathan issued a temporary injunction that stops Aereo showing any video to subscribers while it’s still being broadcast. She said in her ruling [PDF] that, “The Supreme Court has concluded that Aereo performs publicly when it retransmits Plaintiffs’ content live over the Internet and thus infringes Plaintiffs’ copyrighted works.”

She continued, “In light of this conclusion, Aereo cannot claim harm from its inability to continue infringing Plaintiffs’ copyrights. In addition, in light of the fact that Plaintiffs have shown a likelihood of success on the merits rather than just sufficiently serious questions going to the merits, they need no longer show that the balance of hardships tips decidedly in their favor.”

The news comes after Aereo lost it’s Supreme Court case as well as a number of other appeals and rehearings of the case, which resulted in Aereo voluntarily suspending its service back in June.

The news is not a fatal blow to Aereo as the order is only preliminary and not final, and the ruling only stops streaming of content whilst being broadcast live. The judge refused (for now at least), a plea by the broadcasts to stop Aereo’s DVR service that stores video for viewing on-demand.  She said that will be decided at a later date.

They may be down but Aereo are certainly not out, and a new strategy being used by them may mean they begin streaming again as a cable company.

A month ago when Aereo lost it’s Supreme Court case, part of it’s defense was that it wasn’t a cable company. B ut the court thought differently stating that Aereo were, “substantially similar” to a cable TV company. That helped to condemn Aereo to both a defeat and a shutting down of it’s re-streaming service.

But the latest twist is that Aereo are taking that ruling and are seeking a “compulsory license” to broadcast programming, just like a cable company can.

The Aereo service rents out dime-sized antennas to subscribers, which then capture local, over-the-air (OTA) TV broadcasts and retransmit them live to any connected device.

In a letter sent to Judge Alison Nathan, who is in charge of overseeing the litigation between the two parties, Aereo say that by it’s own interpretation of the law, they should be treated a cable company and be able to license programming and pay a, “statutory royalties” set by the government.

The Aereo letter says that, “If Aereo is a ‘cable system’ as that term is defined in the Copyright Act, it is eligible for a statutory license, and its transmissions may not be enjoined.”

So maybe a small chance of Aerreo returning, although with royalties to pay, would they have to put up subscription charges and become as expensive as cable?

There is always someone ready to benefit after the misfortune of a rival. In the case of Aereo that someone is PlayOn, who are targeting subscribers of the service that had to cease streaming on Sunday.

So the deal on offer is a combo of the PlayOn streaming service, plus the PlayLater DVR recording service for offline viewing, and a shiny new Google Chromecast for $69.99.

Mediamall Technologies who developed the PlayOn server software, say that for every one of the lifetime subscriptions taken, customers will receive a Google Chromecast for free.

The service lets viewers watch hundreds of channels that include Hulu, Comedy Central, NBC, ABC, CBS, Fox, and more. Speaking for MediaMall Technologies, CEO Jeff Lawrence said, “With our Chromecast bundle deal, you can get rid of your cable subscription for only $70 — that’s it. You’ll never have to pay a cable bill again.”

The company are hoping to appeal to former Aereo customers. Aereo lost it’s supreme court trial and have had to shutdown the service for now.

Find more details on the limited time PlayOn Chromecast offer here, and if your looking to cut cable then read our cord cutting guide right here.

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After the devastating supreme court case loss last week, Aereo users were left wondering what would become of the internet TV service. But in a statement released today, Aereo say, “This is a pause, and that the company is not shutting down. Aereo is consulting with the court and mapping out next steps.”

The controversial Aereo service has been waged in a constant battle with TV broadcasters since launching in 2012. It culminated in a supreme court ruling which went against the company.

The Aereo rebroadcasting service has been told to cease streaming at 11.30am ET today. CEO Chet Kanojia said in an open letter to customers, “On Wednesday, the United States supreme court reversed a lower court decision in favour of Aereo, dealing a massive setback to consumers”

He continued, “As a result of that decision, our case has been returned to the lower court. We have decided to pause our operations temporarily as we consult with the court and map out our next steps. You will be able to access your cloud-based antenna and DVR only until 11.30am ET today.”

Customers concerned about their account were urged to contact the company. Chet concluded by saying, “Our journey is far from done.”