BitTorrent’s Big Play

BitTorrent had to work hard to convince movie and television executives that it could shed its image as a tool for pirates and become a legitimate online video-downloading destination.



That was the easy part.



Monday, BitTorrent relaunched its site as the BitTorrent Entertainment Network. The site offers over 5,000 movies, television shows, games, and other content to buy, rent, or download for free on the newly launched site, which is the result of partnerships with major studios such as 20th Century Fox, Paramount, and MGM, among others. (See: BitTorrent Flicks on Movies)


Now, the San Francisco, California-based company must convince its core fans to pay for content they once got for free using its peer-to-peer technology. And already, there are rumblings of dissatisfaction across online forums.



On nerd news posting place Slashdot, one contributor wrote of the service: “Why should I pay … when there are plenty of web sites that provide it for free, along with more rights than I would gain with bittorrent.com?”

In order to play ball with the studios, BitTorrent had to agree to digital rights management (DRM) protections on the paid content they are selling on the site—and this has meant that there are limits to their use.



Feature-length films on the site are only for rent, rather than to own, in most cases. Some have a 30-day limit. For some titles, however, the limit is just 24 hours after the first time the movie has been played—something else that has some bloggers fuming. Yet, most other content, such as games, TV shows, and music videos, can be purchased on the site and viewed as many times as the user chooses.



At $2.99 to $3.99 per movie rental and $1.99 to purchase TV shows and music videos, BitTorrent’s offerings are in line with competitors’ prices—but they don’t undercut them. BitTorrent will also be providing high-definition programming. In addition, there is a certain amount of free, non-DRM protected content available—both user-generated and commercial. However, such extras may not be enough to put BitTorrent ahead of its competitors, who include such heavy hitters as iTunes, Joost, Microsoft, YouTube, and Wal-Mart.



In addition, the site’s launch didn’t go as smoothly as many expected, with many who tested it experiencing hiccups while attempting to buy or rent content. For example, PC users’ online publication Ars Technica tested the service and ran into several difficulties with the download process almost every step of the way.



Meanwhile, the site requires downloading the BitTorrent client—something that might alienate non-tech types who find other services more straightforward.



All of this is “part of the growing pains the company is experiencing,” said Gartner analyst Mike McGuire, who believes BitTorrent has a good chance of becoming a significant force because of its advanced technology.



“It’s going to be a constant balancing act among all the stakeholders,” Mr. McGuire said.



These stakeholders include not just the movie studios but BitTorrent’s existing user base. Estimated at 135 million, these are the mostly male, young, tech types that have been using BitTorrent’s peer-to-peer technology for years.


It is BitTorrent’s access to such a demographic that was a draw to the entertainment industry. But as it turns out, it’s also a mighty tough crowd to please.