Peer-to-peer file sharing service BitTorrent has appointed two new CEOs with an entertainment background.
Eric Klinker will step down from being the CEO but will remain with the company and take up a technical role.
"Eric has been an important part of BitTorrent and its history and stays with us. He has some initiatives in the works," says a company spokesperson.
The company will see two new CEOs – Robert Delamar and Jeremy Johnson. Delamar's professional career has revolved around launching global digital content distribution platforms. The co-CEO launched and co-founded digital content service offerings like urbmob, Totalmovie and UUX.
Johnson will be in charge of technology, operations and the company's media teams. He has expertise in network, which will be useful in BitTorrent's aim of building content-centric networks.
BitTorrent has also appointed David Chidekel as the Head of Business Development and Business Affairs. Chidekel's main responsibility includes sponsorship deals and content acquisition. The company has also appointed Straith Schreder as the VP of Creative Initiatives.
The latest co-CEO and management executive appointments will help BitTorrent's plans of launching video streaming service this spring. Schreder revealed that the company will hire more people in the Los Angeles office in the near term for building relationships with the creative community. The Los Angeles office will become a hub for creators to experiment BitTorrent's new distribution methods.
BitTorrent will focus on recruiting more filmmakers, musicians and writers to distribute their work via the company's Bundle service through BitTorrent's upcoming multi-channel streaming service.
The company has also announced that more than 30,000 content creators have signed for BitTorrent Bundle and over 200 million users access video and music via the on-demand service.
"In the last year, our Bundle publisher network has grown by 50 percent, with 46 percent of current publishers now using Bundle as their primary distribution platform. With these artists and our fans, our goal is to build a sustainable ecosystem for experimental storytelling with new revenue streams and a truly transparent data product," says a company statement.
BitTorrent Bundle is giving stiff competition to the likes of Vimeo, VOD, VHX and other similar self-distribution platforms. The company did not share details of its upcoming video streaming service or future plans for Bundle. BitTorrent fans will have to wait until spring to get more details of video services offered by the company.
