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new app in the iOS and Apple TV App Store is suspected to be the first to use a technology from BitTorrent called BitTorrent Live to allow for peer-to-peer-powered live streaming of political events and other news, for example covering the New Hampshire presidential primary this evening. The system is said to reduce latency and content distribution network woes by widely distributing the content across many participating computers to lighten the overall load.
BitTorrent (the company) acknowledged the use of its P2P technology in the free app, saying that BitTorrent Live allows for the app to offer selected live streaming with low lag and high scalability in the number of viewers. The OTT app and service are attempting to carve out a niche of non-mainstream election news coverage. The app is free and available for iOS devices or Apple TV from the respective app stores. Currently, the service offers live footage for only a portion of the day, and is focused on the US presidential race.
BitTorrent said that the Live technology has been "undergoing real-world tests with a number of broadcast partners, and OTT News is the latest," noting that broadcasters can sign up on the company's website
to receive emails regarding the platform's compatibility and availability. BitTorrent has also
posted a blog entry outlining both the challenges of live video streaming, and how the BitTorrent Live technology meets them.
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