BitTorrent has unveiled BitTorrent Now, a new app for the iOS, Android and Apple TV which allows users to stream music and videos that are created mostly by independent artists and filmmakers.
The app, which will be available soon for the iOS and Apple TV but is already out for Android through the Google Play Store, will function similar to other streaming services. Users can open the app and choose from different kinds of content to listen to and watch, which in addition to music and videos could also include virtual reality content in the future.
Some of the content will be free, some will be paid, and some will be supported by advertisements. However, all of the content on the app will be legal and uploaded by their creators.
With the app, BitTorrent is looking to shed its image of being associated with piracy and torrenting, as part of the company's work in creating a platform that will serve as a means for independent artists and filmmakers to share their output.
BitTorrent Now is a renamed version of the company's Bundle platform, which was first launched in 2013. The platform, which became available in 2014 to all artists, assisted in the distribution of their content which allowed them to get paid.
With BitTorrent Now, the downloads offered by the Bundle platform will be joined by audio and video streaming, with the app to be made available in more ways through its mobile apps in addition to being accessible through the web. According to BitTorrent, content creators will also receive an additional option for revenue, as those who participate in the app's pilot program for advertising-supported streaming will be able to keep 70 percent of the advertising revenue generated by their content.
There have been over 200 million downloads through the Bundle platform, and BitTorrent will look to replicate or even exceed that level of success with BitTorrent Now. The company's VP of creative initiatives, Straith Schreder, said that some of the most downloaded and most streamed content from Bundle are from independent artists and collectives, and giving them the means to get their work out to a global audience is important.
Just last month, BitTorrent released its first dedicated app, BitTorrent Live, for the Apple TV. The app comes with several channels for users to access, but the big news about the app is the technology behind it.
BitTorrent Live's technology is able to transform each viewer of a live stream into a broadcaster, similar to the concept of torrents, which will reduce lag times often experienced when watching streaming content.
