Reportr.net

BitTorrent is an impressive way to share big files online. It explains why it has become a favourite among people looking to get the latest episode of Lost or dodgy recording of a Hollywood blockuster, illegally of course.

But there are signs that the media industry is realising it cannot fight the technology, with major studios announcing a deal with the BitTorrent company to distribute their movies.

Under the plans, BitTorrent will set up an online video store in the spring, offering films from studios such as Paramount Pictures, Lionsgate and Twentieth Century Fox Film, as well as TV shows from MTV Networks.

It follows an earlier deal with Warner Bros. The deals are a volte-face from the approach of suing consumers or legal action to squash technologies like Napster. Eric Patterson, BitTorrent’s general manager of consumer services, explains it well:

“Millions of people are using BitTorrent to download content legally and illegally. We know from our research that 30 percent of that audience will pay for content. We’re going to help the studios turn an enormous problem into a viable sales channel.”

The question is whether the service will be priced at the right level and offer the right level of convenience to ween people away from pirated sources. To compete with free, the service is going to have to make it easy to download movies, much like iTunes does with music.