DILLER WINS ROUND ONE AGAINST NETWORKS

Barry Diller has won an unexpected early-round legal victory against the major broadcast networks, as a federal judge on Monday threw out an unfair-competition complaint that they had filed against Diller’s Aereo service. The service allows subscribers to use what Aereo calls their own dedicated antenna to retransmit favorite over-the-air TV shows via the Internet to mobile and other devices for about $12 per month. The broadcasters contend that such usage blocks them from making retransmission-rights deals with cable companies. They have also filed a copyright-infringement lawsuit against Aereo; a hearing on that claim is due to be heard next week.