BitTorrent Inc. said it would begin offering Hollywood films, TV shows and music videos for a fee on its Web site.
The new service, which will charge $3.99 per download, will rely on the company’s existing peer-to-peer file-sharing software, which had been previously used to illegally exchange pirated copies of movies and shows. The company said late last year, after receiving $20 million in venture funding, that it was removing illegal content from its site before restarting it and that content would be traded legally on the site upon re-launch.
Studios whose films will be featured include Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc., Twentieth Century Fox, Warner Bros., Paramount, MTV and Lions Gates Entertainment Corp., the company said.
BitTorrent is privately held and is based in San Francisco.