BitTorrent announced today a deal inked with 20th Century Fox, G4, Kadokawa, Lionsgate, MTV Networks, Palm Pictures, Paramount and Starz Media to allow for video downloads from their catalogs of movies and TV shows. This follows last month’s news that CE manufacturers will start pre-installing the peers-to-peers software on wireless routers and media servers and a July announcement of a similar video deal with Warner Bros. Home Entertainment, Egami Media, Hart Sharp, Koch Entertainment and The Orchard.
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 20th 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 20th 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.
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. Pricing details haven’t been announced, but are expected as the launch in February 2007 gets closer.
BitTorrent Strikes Digital Download Deals with 20th Century Fox, G4, Kadokawa, Lionsgate, MTV Networks, Palm Pictures, Paramount and Starz Media [press release]