BitTorrent Inc. Introduces Ad-Supported Downloads
BitTorrent Inc. is experimenting with alternatives to paid downloads on their Entertainment Network, and is now experimenting with advertising supported downloads. Instead of paying for a download, BitTorrent’s customers now see ads before and after watching an episode.
The ad-supported model is currently being tested on episodes by the video gamers network G4, but is likely to be tested on episodes from other publishers in the future.
The video ads are short video clips delivered by YuMe Networks, a company that is specialized in IP based video ads. YuMe CEO Jayant Kadambi said that the company expects to deliver more user targeted video ads as soon as BitTorrent Inc. signs more deals with publishers that want to experiment with ad-supported downloads.
Two weeks ago BitTorrent Inc. announced that it will launch an ad-supported TV-network by the end of this year. This advertising supported TV-model is likely to be supported by YuMe Networks as well.
DRM-free and ad supported downloads are the future, and one of the only business models that will be able to compete with pirated content. It’s good to see that BitTorrent Inc. is realizing this, they are moving in the right direction.
