BitTorrent, the file sharing tool we discussed last week is used by many to illegally share files on the Internet has just come in from the cold. The digital media store will now offer around 3,000 new and classic movies and thousands more television shows, as well as a thousand PC games and music videos each, all legally available for purchase through its new BitTorrent Entertainment Network, an online store selling movies, TV shows and music videos for download. The network can also be utilized as a distribution platform for independent content creators. Although it still faces stiff competition with established players like Apple's iTunes Store and YouTube their new content providers , include Twentieth Century Fox, Paramount, Warner Brothers and new partner, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.
The New York Times reported Doug Lee, executive vice president of MGM’s new-media division, "Somebody once said you have to embrace your enemy.” The Motion Picture Association of America claim that a million movies are illegally acquired every day using BitTorrent technology. The software is open source, so versions of it, as well as Web sites offering pirated movies, are maintained by companies not affiliated with BitTorrent.
The BitTorrent store will sell digital copies of TV shows but only rent movies. Once the films are on the PC, they expire within 30 days of their purchase or 24 hours after the buyer begins to watch them. New releases will cost $3.99, while classics will cost $2.99.
