Chromecast continues to add new apps to the roster of services that support Google's $35 HDMI streaming dongle, but the latest addition is particularly interesting. Broadcast TV streaming service Aereo announced an upcoming update for its Android app on Thursday to bring live TV to Chromecast.

Aereo said in a blog post Thursday that it would be "Google Cast Ready on May 29." Chromecast support will come in the form of an update to the Aereo app for Android. No word yet if iOS support is on its way soon thereafter.

"The way people watch and experience television is changing and Google is a pioneer in providing consumers with more choice and flexibility in how they access and experience that media," said Aereo CEO and founder Chet Kanojia. "We're excited that Aereo will be Google Cast Ready this May. Consumers deserve more options and alternatives in how they watch television and our team is committed to providing consumers with the best experience possible using Aereo's innovative cloud technology."

Really? Live TV on Chromecast? What's Aereo?

If you haven't heard of Aereo yet, here's the deal. Aereo is a relatively young and small streaming service that uses a loophole in live broadcast TV rules to bring live streaming TV to any number of digital devices for a cheap subscription fee.

Instead of licensing TV programs for exorbitant fees, Aereo has TV antennae farms camped out near broadcasting locations. That's because high quality HD TV broadcasts can now be received in full quality by tiny antennae.

So Aereo places hundreds of these tiny antennae into an array and "leases" them out to subscribers for a minimum monthly fee of $8. So technically, the company isn't selling you anything besides control over a well-placed antennae, although the service also includes DVR -- so you can watch your favorite programs on demand -- with up to 20 hours of storage for the basic fee and 60 hours of DVR for $4 more.

Aereo streams to iOS devices, via the web, as well as Apple TV and Roku. Come June, it will be on Chromecast as well.

TV Broadcasters and Aereo's Tenuous Future

There's a possibility Aereo will never make it to your Chromecast. That's because TV broadcasters have challenged Aereo's right to distribute programming through the internet ever since the company launched in 2012. Broadcasters say Aereo's service constitutes retransmission, which incurs all the fees normal networks, cable companies, and other sources of live TV pay.

The legal dispute has made it to the Supreme Court, where two weeks from now, the highest court in the land will hear the case of ABC, Inc. vs. Aereo, Inc. The court's decision may be made as soon as the summer, just in time to break Aereo's business model (if it doesn't go their way) or for the company to get the go-ahead to invest in expansion.

In related news, at least one part of the federal government is trying to push TV broadcasters to bring more of their content into the digital age: Tom Wheeler, Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, spoke to the National Association of Broadcasters this week, urging them to pivot away from focusing on broadcast over the airwaves and into providing digital content online. It looks like Aereo is getting there first though, this time through the Chromecast, if it survives its Supreme Court battle.

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