BitTorrent Entertainment Network to launch ad-supported Net TV

News from the halls of BitTorrent Inc was rampant yesterday, with news of it launching an ad-supported Net TV service by years end, Bram Cohen blaming Windows implementation of DRM for playback problems, and also saying that the BitTorrent Entertainment Network has the largest catalog of digital video on the Web.

In both Northern and Southern California yesterday, representatives of BitTorrent Inc provided key insights into their current state of affairs and also hinted at its future.

At the Online Media, Marketing, and Advertising Conference and Expo (OMMA) that was held in Hollywood, CA, a panel session called "Big Media--Disintermediated" was conducted where Eric Patterson, vice president and general manager of consumer services for BitTorrent Inc., said that it will be looking to launch a new ad-supported Net TV service by years end.

He said that "We see us moving to an advertising-supported model at the end of the year so people can consume TV shows in the same way they consume programs on television."

This announcement could be aimed at the new Joost service which has already lined up Viacom as a provider of TV and film content for the ad-supported streaming Net TV service.

Up in Northern California Bram Cohen was a keynote speaker at the New Video Summit in San Jose, where he was interviewed by Andreas Kluth of the Economist.

The BitTorrent Entertainment Network has been dogged by problems with the way that content DRM restrictions have both hampered playback, as well as discouraged many to switch from pirating the content DRM-free from BitTorrent tracker sites and to purchasing the content from their site.

Bram Cohen said that he feels that DRM software and the implementation of it in Windows is to blame for slowing the shift of video to the Internet.

He said that We've got a problem we share with everyone. Content owners want a DRM, consumers know what a DRM is and they don't like it."

"We are using Windows DRM because it is the only solution that has been vetted widely, but we are not happy with how it affects playback from a technology point of view it sometimes makes playback not work," Cohen continued.

The BitTorrent Entertainment Network is now infamous from playback and download problems. It was noted before how some have even had difficulty getting content to play in Windows Media Player 11, and how others have paid for a song download that they could never get to download properly.

Now to be fair, Cohen knows that the DRM is only hamstringing his efforts, noting previously that “We are not happy with the user interface implications” of digital rights management, or DRM. It’s an unfortunate thing. We would really like to strip it all away.

Unfortunately for him, I don't see the movie studios giving into that one anytime soon. Who likes DRM more than content owners?

The last bit of commentary that Cohen provided at the NVS in San Jose was about how BitTorrent Inc. now has the largest catalog of digital video on the Web. This may be the case as iTunes is still limited to Lionsgate, Disney, and ABC but, it seems as though iTunes has better managed the potential of its catalog thus far than has the BitTorrent Entertainment Network. I guess time will tell but, the DRM issue will need to be addressed first and foremost. Perhaps some sort of Zune partnering would help it succeed, as the iPod, iTunes player and content combination seems to be the key. But, will anybody be willing to buy a Zune for this reason alone?

In any event, its good to see that BitTorrent Inc. has become complacent with their new BitTorrent Entertainment Network and are still thinking outside the box to make it succeed. Now if only they could get content providers oTV episodes will cost $1.99, which is a similar to the price charged on competing sites such as Apple's iTunes.ff their back long enough to make it the best that it could possibly be.