Bit Torrent user numbers rise to 150 million per month

PEER-TO-PEER FILESHARING software outfit Bit Torrent's Mainline client and µtorrent have increased their combined customer base to 150 million monthly users.

According to Torrent Freak, both clients' combined user base increased more than 50 percent from last year.

Bit Torrent has been the leading peer-to-peer (P2P) filesharing technology for more than five years and continues to expand despite increasing competition from cyberlockers.

The µtorrent client saw the most growth after more than quadrupling its number of monthly users in the last three years. It went from 28 million monthly users in December 2008 to 132 million last month.

The company is also showing off several "Bit Torrent Certified" devices at CES, through which it wants to add an extra revenue stream and widen its user base.

The company will also launch the world's first certified set-top box developed by the Slovakian company Antik. It will allow users to use Bit Torrent services directly on their TVs. µ