BitTorrent is expanding its live-streaming service with the addition of its very own news channel.
BitTorrent Live, which was unveiled last month, is currently on the lookout for a news director who will be responsible for building a team of journalists for its tent-pole news channel, entitled “BitTorrent News.”
The company’s job posting, spotted by Variety, describes the project as “new and original.” It adds that the channel is seeking to recruit both an in-house, San-Francisco-based team of reporters and presenters, and a “worldwide network of stringers.”
Indicating that this is very much a work in progress, the BitTorrent News crew will be a “lean team” at the outset, in which everyone will be expected to “wear many hats,” according to the listing. The job description also states that the channel’s coverage will initially focus on “political campaigns, sporting events, tech, and cultural events,” throwing doubt on a 24-hour news network format.
BitTorrent founder Bram Cohen recently took to Twitter in search of a political commentator for a news program. The emphasis on politics ties in with the channel’s planned launch date this fall, in time for the election.
Anybody know someone interested in being interviewed semi-regularly about the state of political prediction markets for a news program?
— Bram Cohen🌱 (@bramcohen) June 13, 2016
Until now, BitTorrent has remained tight-lipped about its approach to original programming on its live-streaming service. It will, however, face some stiff competition on its platform in the form of the conservative news outlet NewsMax TV, which was announced as a partner at launch.
BitTorrent does have some prior experience with news coverage courtesy of its OTT News app, launched on iOS, Android, and Apple TV in February. Dedicated to news updates from the presidential primaries, BitTorrent described the app as a “test case for live streaming.”
BitTorrent Live is now available on the Apple TV App Store. BitTorrent claims that its live-streaming platform uses its peer-to-peer file-sharing tech to overcome the lag issues that have plagued similar services, such as HBO Go.
