BitTorrent, iTunes Competition?

The fellows at BitTorrent thought of actually taking money from people for media content. The parent of 'sharing' announced the launch of a website that will rent and sell movies, videos, music, TV shows and games in an iTunes-like manner.

According to Times, Fox, Paramount, Warner, and MGM are the companies said to have signed contracts with BitTorrent Entertainment Network and will contribute with over 3000 productions to their database.

Unlike in iTunes, the products are basically intended for rent; only TV shows, videos and games will actually be sold to customers. The media content may be rented for either 24 hours or 30 days, rental fees being $2.99 or $3.99.

I don't know about you, but I'm not at all excited about this renting opportunity. I'd rather buy a film for 10 dollars from iTunes and keep it. I wouldn't want my 'Lord of the Rings' to expire in 24 hours, that's something I'll be watching over and over again, for many times.

The media content will naturally be available for download after having paid the rental fee. The New York Times says the download speed from BitTorrent Entertainment Network is superior to that from Walmart's service.

I saved the best for last. The media content from BitTorrent Entertainment Network will be protected, of course, with digital rights management technology from Microsoft. So Mac OS X user will likely not be able to use the content (not as s/he would want to). The technology used will probably be similar to that at Walmart service.

Good luck to you, BitTorrent Entertainment Network. May you bring media pirates on the right track (a DRM-protected track, that is)!