BitTorrent, the same file-sharing network used to distribute hacked Sony documents and emails, says it’s the perfect candidate for Sony to release “The Interview.”
Hackers succeeded in getting Sony to pull “The Interview.” A combination of extortion and physical threats scared Sony Pictures enough that the company gave theater chains the choice to drop out from distributing the movie. They all did.
Sony is now scrambling for other options to release the film, including video on-demand or online streaming on sites Hulu, Netflix and YouTube. Sony already owns a similar service, Crackle. But potential distribution partners haven’t exactly been throwing their hands up to volunteer.
Then, over the weekend, BitTorrent made the case that it’s the best candidate for the job.
“Releasing The Interview via torrent is a safe way to bring the film to audiences,” BitTorrent said on Twitter.
BitTorrent runs a paid service that would allow Sony to set a price for watching the movie online. Anyone could then head to BitTorrent.com and pay to see it.
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, the BitTorrent company said its decentralized, everywhere-at-once distribution directly into people’s homes is the best response to the Sony hackers’ vague and outlandish threats of violence at movie theaters.
Sony did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The irony, or course, is that BitTorrent played a significant role in getting Sony into this mess. The BitTorrent network, although sometimes used for legitimately sharing files, was the main way hackers were able to distribute massive troves of documents stolen from Sony, such as executives’ emails.