“An experiment in distributing DRM-free content via BitTorrent has proven to be a success for one Norwegian TV broadcaster, with project manager Eirik Solheim calling the experience “extremely positive.” His network, Norwegian Broadcasting (NRK), has been offering the popular series Nordkalotten 365 as unprotected MPEG-4 files through BitTorrent since late January and has been surprised with the public’s overwhelmingly positive reaction. Solheim said in an interview (republished on NRK’s blog in English) that the experience will likely “clear the rights for this kind of distribution of more content.”
Since the experiment’s inception just over a month ago, Nordkalotten 365 has been downloaded over 90,000 times—shocking to NRK, since Norway is a small country of only 4.6 million. Not only that, but the people downloading have been good torrenters too. The files have had ratios close to 95 percent, which Solheim said saved license fee payers 95 percent of all distribution costs. “People are happily seeding the files,” Solheim said.”
Source: Norwegian broadcaster: P2P experiment “extremely positive”.
This is brilliant, absolutely brilliant!
This is like THE perfect smack in the face, for the recording industry (Who likes to buy laws that take away our freedom!). A Norwegian TV broadcaster comes out and openly states that BitTorrent just “saved license fee payers 95 percent of all distribution costs.”, rather than try to tell lies that say that they lost money or something.
To the guys at NRK, keep up the good work guys, I love what you’re doing! Cheers and applause from Denmark!