P2P Research Institute Blog

Introduction

Distribution of media in peer to peer networks tends to mirror the mainstream media. A new cinematic release will suddenly become the hottest thing to download on BitTorrent. But who releases the films, and how? Usually there are many different individual releases for a given film, and the cycle typically starts with initial low-quality offerings, with higher-quality copies being published as time goes on. This article is an in-depth look at the BitTorrent release progression of one major 2007 Hollywood film, 300.

Time line

• March 9th 2007, blockbuster film 300 opens in movie theatres across the United States. While movie-goers crowd out cinemas on release day, Internet piracy gangs spring into action, working secretly beneath the radar of copyright enforcers in shady arrangements with theatre staff.
• March 10th 2007, so-called “cam” releases - crudely videotaped reproductions - of the hit film appear on the BitTorrent P2P network.
• March 12th 2007, a mere three days after the film has opened to the public, highly sophisticated “telesync” reproductions - which practically necessitate insider help to produce - flood onto BitTorrent.
• March 20th 2007, less than two weeks since the film’s opening, BitTorrent is inundated with leaked “workprint” copies of the flick - very high quality digital reproductions.
• March 21st 2007, piracy groups begin circulating misappropriated DVD “Screeners” - advance retail-quality copies of the film intended for critics and distributors - on BitTorrent.
• April 11th, 2007, while continuous streams of pirated copies have poured onto P2P networks since the film’s release - including versions in French, Spanish and German along with versions with fan-made “alternative soundtracks” - the first authentic “DVDRip” copies appear on BitTorrent, barely more than a month after the initial release date.
• July 21st, 2007, the first in a string of ultra high quality HDTV duplications are released by pirates.
• By the end of 2007, more than 332 different pirate versions of the film have been released on BitTorrent.
• A whopping 25% of all pirated versions of 300 were distributed through infamous Swedish BitTorrent site, The Pirate Bay.

Analysis

The time line above makes it clear that despite huge investments made by the entertainment industry in piracy prevention, piracy is rampant. Indeed, it is easier now than ever before to download a pirated movie. What is unclear, however, is the impact of various offerings, such as Amazon’s online movie store, or Netflix’s, are having on piracy. At what point will people switch over to simply paying for a download rather than firing up their torrent client? What needs to change in terms of cost, software and licensing? These are some of the questions we are really interested in, and will continue to research.