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BitTorrent Inc Launches Defense of Netflix Claims

Posted by: , 17:07 AEST, Sat May 11, 2013

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BitTorrent Inc disputes Netflix's claims that BitTorrent traffic drops whenever Netflix enters a new market, and the association of BitTorrent with piracy
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Image/Photo Credit: dantekgeek @ Flickr, CC

Just a week after trying to distance themselves from piracy, BitTorrent Inc has launched a bizarre defense against claims made by Netflix. 

Netflix CCO Ted Sarandos last week stated that BitTorrent traffic drops whenever Netflix traffic rises, obviously in reference to piracy related BitTorrent traffic. BitTorrent Inc this week chose to attack these claims by claiming Netflix's interpretation of the statistics are wrong, and at the same time also denying the piracy connection altogether.

In the curiously titled blog post Reports Of Our Death Have Been Greatly Exaggerated, BitTorrent Inc's VP of Marketing Matt Mason disagreed with Sarandos's use of the term "BitTorrent" to refer to piracy in general, and also said that the Netflix Chief Content Officer's claims about dropping BitTorrent traffic is wrong. Mason says that the traffic drop is more likely to do with BitTorrent's "Micro Transport Protocol", launched in 2009 to help mitigate Internet traffic congestion issues by dialing back BitTorrent traffic during peak usage times.

Mason disagrees with the notion that Netflix and BitTorrent were in competition. Instead, Mason says that BitTorrent is nothing more than a tool, and a tool that can help Netflix and Hollywood in general.


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