BitTorrent Plans To Expand in 2013

Will the tech company make good on its New Year's resolution?

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BitTorrent, the popular file sharing tech company, has a New Year's resolution: to distribute music, movies and books on the web legally. Matt Mason, the executive director of marketing, said the company plans to partner with the entertainment industry in an effort to expand its mission. With over 150 million users, which according to Mason is more than Netflix, Hulu, and Spotify combined, BitTorrent is attempting to monetize its growing reach.

As Jenna Wortham for the New York Times reports:

Part of BitTorrent’s new business strategy stems from the rise of streaming services like Netflix and Hulu. Mr. Mason said the company isn’t worried about those services. He did say, however, that if they help cut down on the illegal downloading of movies and music, then it’s a “win” for the company. He also said that unlike those businesses, BitTorrent has little to no immediate interest in trying to develop its own Web shows and programs.

But who is to say any of this will work, especially after the company's failed iTunes-esque music project in 2008? “The way to solve the content delivery problem is to get out of the way of the content. No one wants to just be the pipes. We’re already the pipes and we’re good at it, so it’s a huge opportunity for us to make this transition work," Mason said.

[via Bits]

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