The faces of both digital distribution and peer-to-peer/piracy shifted Tuesday as Time Warner announced a distribution deal with peer-to-peer file sharing network BitTorrent. The deal will place TV shows and movies from Time Warner on BitTorrent for either rental or purchase. TV shows will be priced at US$1 per episode, similar to Apple’s iTunes pricing, while movies will be available the same day as DVD releases, and for the same price.

Content downloaded through BitTorrent will have DRM protection limiting playback to computers, though computer-only backup DVDs can be produced.

"Warner Bros. is in the business of making its movies and TV shows available to as wide an audience as possible. The launch of a legal BitTorrent online video service allows us to extend our reach to places our content would not ordinarily be found legally and opens up new opportunities. Entering into agreements such as this to distribute our content is not only a better way to reach existing and new customers but a reflection of the critical role distribution technologies play in the future of the entertainment industry," said Darcy Antonellis, Executive Vice President, Distribution Technology & Operations, Warner Bros. Entertainment said in a statement.

Ashwin Navin, President and Co-founder of BitTorrent, offered, "BitTorrent is the ideal platform to publish high-quality content on the Internet. By combining Warner Bros.’ popular video content with BitTorrent’s proven delivery efficiency, consumers will have an unparalleled way to experience entertainment online."

The service is intended to launch in summer of 2006 and will initially feature more than 200 Warner Bros. new releases, catalog favorites and television series. Featured titles to be initially offered will include newer releases such as Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride, Dukes of Hazzard, North Country, and Rumor Has It,

The company will also release "library titles" (i.e. older titles) such as The Matrix, Dog Day Afternoon, Natural Born Killers, and National Lampoon’s Vegas Vacation. TV programming will include shows such as Babylon 5 and Dukes of Hazzard.

iTunes

The agreement with BitTorrent may well be the most credible digital outlet for video content outside of Apple’s iTunes. BitTorrent has hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of users who trade video, music, and software, much of it pirated. Though the agreement with Time Warner marks one of the first agreements for legal content from a major copyright holder, the fact is that BitTorrent does indeed have a built-in audience already built.

Indeed, with major movie titles being offered by BitTorrent, the service has somewhat of a leg up on iTunes whose video content is so far limited to TV shows. Movies have long been rumored to be coming at some point.