BitTorrent Strikes Digital Download Deals with 20th Century Fox, G4, Kadokawa, Lionsgate, MTV Networks, Palm Pictures, Paramount and Starz Media

WebKnowHow
Wednesday, November 29, 2006; 03:53 AM

BitTorrent, Inc., home to the world’s leading peer-assisted digital content delivery platform, today announced a slate of partnerships with a wide variety of leading film and television companies. 20^th Century Fox, G4, Kadokawa Pictures USA, Lionsgate, MTV Networks (including COMEDY CENTRAL, Logo, MTV: Music Television, MTV2, Nickelodeon, Nicktoons Network, SpikeTV, The N, TV Land and VH1), Palm Pictures, Paramount Pictures and Starz Media will publish movies and TV shows on BitTorrent.com.

By partnering with some of the most established entertainment studios and TV networks in the world, BitTorrent will be offering an increasingly comprehensive library of digital media content. Through these new partnerships, BitTorrent customers will be able to select from a variety of popular film titles from 20^th Century Fox, Kadokawa, Lionsgate, Palm, Paramount and Starz Media such as “X-Men The Last Stand,” “Ringu,” “Saw III,” “13 Tzameti,” “Mission: Impossible III,” and “Ghost in the Shell.” TV programming will include hits like “Attack of the Show” from G4; “24” and “Prison Break” from 20^th Century Fox; “City of Men” from Palm; “Laguna Beach” and “Celebrity Deathmatch” from MTV: Music Television; Emmy and Peabody-Award winning “South Park” and “Chappelle’s Show” from COMEDY CENTRAL; “Hogan Knows Best” from VH1; “SpongeBob SquarePants” and “Avatar: The Last Airbender” from Nickelodeon; and “Skyland” from Nicktoons Network.

Today’s announcement is in addition to BitTorrent’s previously announced partnerships with Warner Bros. Home Entertainment, Egami Media, Hart Sharp, Koch Entertainment and The Orchard to further add depth and breadth to its digital library. The videos, which can be downloaded and viewed on a PC, laptop and other portable devices, include new film releases day-and-date with the DVD release, popular TV series, deep catalog titles and cult classics. One exception is Palm Pictures, as they plan to be the first studio to utilize the BitTorrent platform to release full-length feature films before the theatrical and DVD release dates. Most film titles will be available for purchase on a Download-to-Own (DTO) basis or for rent on a Video-on-Demand (VOD) basis, while TV content will be available for DTO only.

“We’re thrilled to be partnering with world-renowned entertainment companies and TV networks,” said Ashwin Navin, President and Co-founder of BitTorrent. “This is a true testament to the value of our community, technology and the position we aspire to play in the world of entertainment and content distribution. Our audience has a voracious appetite for digital content and by offering the titles they want with a solid user experience; it’s a win-win situation for both content providers as well as our users.”

Designed in 2001, BitTorrent has become the most efficient means of distributing large, high-quality files on the Internet. With many millions of users, BitTorrent traffic accounts for as much as 40 percent of all worldwide Internet traffic. BitTorrent continues to work with the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) to remove copyright infringing content from its search results and, as evidenced by today’s announcement, is working with studios to replace that content with a high-quality, legal option that aspires to compete with piracy. With integrated monetization for paid and ad-supported content, the forthcoming BitTorrent service will be an ideal platform for the digital distribution of online entertainment. The service will offer not only video, but also music and games. BitTorrent will disclose pricing details closer to the time of the launch of the online retail marketplace, which is set for February 2007.

“BitTorrent has fundamentally changed the Internet architecture by enabling high-speed and high-quality content distribution on the Web. Today we have announced the role BitTorrent.com will play as a hub for consumers to enjoy their favorite entertainment, but we see a future that involves BitTorrent’s content delivery platform powering thousands of websites including those of content creators themselves, offering them the profound benefits of our technology,” said Navin.

BitTorrent is home to the world’s leading peer-assisted digital content delivery platform, providing the fastest, most efficient means of distributing, discovering, and consuming large, high-quality files on the Internet. Created in 2001 as an open source protocol, BitTorrent currently enables millions of users worldwide to easily and securely download digital content through its website and licensed technology solutions. BitTorrent is a privately held company headquartered in San Francisco, California. For more information, visit www.bittorrent.com.