Platforms like Joost and the BitTorrent download store have taken the first steps in the right direction. Free, ad-supported content offered through a convenient streaming solution that doesn’t make you wait for hours before you can watch your downloaded movie of TV show — that’s a start to compete with the pirates.

My Joost story. I had zero interest in it. Then I found out it was offering “Standby For Action,” a recent special documentary about Gerry Anderson that ran in the UK. I couldn’t find it via torrent or P2P. So, I went and got the Joost software and got to see it. That said, still looking for torrent or P2P of it! (Which I do not see as piracy as it will never run in the US nor be offered for sale. And Joost has already had my eyeballs during their ads, so money was made.) Moral: Stop offering the same crap as the domestic TV market! (This is also why I’ve subscribed to several micro-series on Veoh. Let ABCCBSNBCFOXCW sink!)

Studios and Networks are trying to figure out business models for online delivery without cannibalizing their current revenue streams. This was a big concern with DVD as well. Remember before DVDs VHS movie rentals were big business and the studios didn’t want to lose that revenue but when DVDs started selling and the studios were taking in $10-$12 per DVD, DVD sell through became the cash cow for studios.

Just like the opening of a Hollywood Hot Spot/Night Club once the studios have the margins figured out they will also figure out a way to create a line at the P2P door so that when the doors open there are enough hot looking sexy bandwidth carrying viewers there to get the service launched and running smoothly. I’m sure they will try and figure out a way to keep out the riffraff as well but that brings up the problem of Net Neutrality.

If you are opening up a Hot Hollywood Night Club you pay the city for your business permits and the state for your liquor license but you don’t have to pay anyone for the use of the streets, roads and freeways because they are government owned and covered by taxes. But with P2P, the Freeways may be free but the On and Off ramps are controlled by ISPs and they have businesses to run and share holders to please.

The battle of the On and Off ramps will play out in one way or another and I would expect at some point the studios and networks will take control of those ramps not only to get sexy people to their Hip New Hollywood Hot Spots but they will also want to eventually get the Bridge and Tunnel crowd into their New York Hot Spots as well.

It may be a free movie rental or credit towards PPV offerings for uploading a certain amount of data or writing a review from their pay per view offerings (yes they are coming to platforms like Joost) or some free swag .

Sure some companies have rewarded power users who contribute to beta tests of their product with various items of swag and sweepstakes that foster some community spirit but it needs to be extended and possibly help promote services that viewers might purchase in the future .