Doctor Who official BitTorrent Bundles released by BBC

While BitTorrent has become nearly synonymous with downloads of free, pirated content, that isn't always the case, as every once in a while the peer-to-peer sharing platform is used as the official distribution method for music and video. Thanks to a team-up between the BBC and BitTorrent, this is one of those rare times, as the popular, long-running TV series Doctor Who is now making its way to the platform in an official way. The British TV network is celebrating the 10th anniversary of the show's relaunch by making two bundles available, including one for free.

The two downloads aren't meant to serve as an in-depth recap of the sci-fi series, with details of every major plot, but instead act as a gateway for curious viewers with the hopes of turning them into fans. Comments from the BBC about the Doctor Who offerings are a perfect example of a content company adapting to the technologies of today.

A representative for the network acknowledged that they "have quite a young audience, they're very digital-savvy, and a lot of them access content in the digital space, so understanding their habits and going where they are is very important for us." Meanwhile, BitTorrent says the BBC wasn't scared of the technology and how it's often associated with piracy, but interested in how it could be used as a legitimate distribution method.

As for the BitTorrent Bundles themselves, the free offering is made up of the first episode of the Doctor Who relaunch, "Rose," as well as a recap titled "A Decade of Doctor Who – Peter Capaldi Introduction," both in standard video files. The second bundle is more than fairly priced at $12, and includes the two previous videos, the documentary Doctor Who: Earth Conquest – The World Tour, and eight of the best episodes, all in premium format files: "The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances" (Series 1), "The Girl in the Fireplace" (Series 2), "Blink" (Series 3), "The End of Time Parts 1 & 2″ Special (Series 4), "The Vampires of Venice" (Series 5), "The Doctor's Wife" (Series 6), "The Rings of Akhaten" (Series 7), "The Day of the Doctor" (50th Anniversary special) and "Listen" (Series 8).

VIA The Guardian

SOURCE BitTorrent