Except this same scenario happened if you recorded off TV; or used a DVR like Tivo.
Now imagine the benefits of a torrent option where they have the option of updating the ads every 6-12 months; and releasing fresh torrents (or even better they use your IP Geo info when you fetch the torrent and have region-specific torrent offerings with different ads in them.)
Maybe if its a legit source, you're more likely to download it when you need it from the trusted source, instead of hoarding the file for 10 years, swapping it with friends through other means, etc.
Bonus for increased likelihood that you're swarming with people closer to you instead of slower connections on the other side of the globe
Having two versions that only differ in the ads would also make it very easy to take only the common (non-ad) content and throw away the rest.
Considering that there is DRM software, and that it's largely accepted for at least some content (PC games), it's a wonder that there's no digital format where a DRM software plays the content you downloaded after playing some relevant ads to you. (Kind of like crunchyroll, or youtube, but with bittorrent distribution like vuze).
Saying that, if vuze or bittorrent.com implemented that scheme, would there be enough of of an indie films community that would supply the first round of content to such an app?
And - would people prefer this to youtube or crunchyroll if they can get the same content without installing a bittorrent program?
Yes, but to do that you'd have to download two versions then throw some special software at them - or someone else would have to do this then supply a new torrent without them, which would mean you weren't getting it from an official source any more. Whereas if your movie has embedded directives saying "get some ads from ads.hbo.com to fill in 6:25 to 7:45", it seems pretty trivial to have the player software respond to that as "skip straight from 6:25 to 7:45".
As for the DRM software thing - that does solve that problem, but to me it is a deal killer. Yes, I would probably download TV from the "official" torrent with ads if it's just a movie, but if it's some DRM-laden mess that has to be played through their proprietary player, no way. Also, there would seem to be very little chance of getting a Linux version of the DRM software which would be a practical deal-killer for me even if I got past the conceptual issue.
How hard would it be for someone to download both versions, do the diffs, and create the instructions, get torrent X, and play from 0:30 to 6:25, skip straight to 7:45, etc?
The differencing task would be the perfect app for the new unlimited inbound bandwidth at linode. :)
Why not just provide streaming versions for free, and insert new ads whenever they feel like it. It could even be like a website where a Person could find lots of different streaming video programs. I would use that in a heartbeat.
The American networks aren't exactly set up to sell advertising to all of the other 192 countries in the world...
Sure, there are a few global brands that might buy in anyway, but the advertising would be less targeted and there would be less competition for the same slots, so rates would be significantly lower while costs would stay the same (or even be higher.)
All this is ignoring the myriad existing deals that the networks have with peers in other contries offering exclusive region-wide access to certain content. Working around this would be possible, but would result in numerous IP blocks anyway.
Now imagine the benefits of a torrent option where they have the option of updating the ads every 6-12 months; and releasing fresh torrents (or even better they use your IP Geo info when you fetch the torrent and have region-specific torrent offerings with different ads in them.)
Maybe if its a legit source, you're more likely to download it when you need it from the trusted source, instead of hoarding the file for 10 years, swapping it with friends through other means, etc.
Bonus for increased likelihood that you're swarming with people closer to you instead of slower connections on the other side of the globe