Technology firm BitTorrent has persuaded a range of musicians to distribute music using its “Bundles” feature, including Thom Yorke, Pixies, De La Soul and Moby. Now it’s turning its attention to TV.

The company’s first original TV series, Children of the Machine, will make its debut in the autumn of 2015, according to AdWeek.

The eight-episode show will be a free download on BitTorrent’s file-sharing network supported by advertising, although fans will be able to pay $4.95 for an ad-free version, or $9.95 for that plus bonus content.

“This is a science fiction show catered to the typical tech-savvy, male-dominated audience,” producer Marco Weber told AdWeek. “We’re not trying to launch a romantic comedy, so the concept of this show moved us toward BitTorrent.”

BitTorrent claims to have more than 170 million monthly active users on its network, with 40 million of them using it every day. Its pitch to creators of all stripes, from musicians to TV producers, is that it can put their work in front of that large audience, and help them make money from it.

Besides the musicians named above, BitTorrent bundles have been launched by Azealia Banks, Public Enemy, Alice in Chains, Diplo and Atari Teenage Riot from the music world.

Yorke chose BitTorrent as the distribution platform for his latest solo album, Tomorrow’s Modern Boxes, using a “paygate” feature that got fans to pay $6 to unlock the whole album.

The free bundle has been downloaded 4.4 million times since its launch in late September, although neither Yorke nor BitTorrent has said how many of those downloaders subsequently paid.

A promotional clip for Children of the Machine.

While Children of the Machine is the first original TV series to try a bundle, the feature has been used for films including documentaries The Act of Killing, Dear Mr Watterson and Eddie Izzard’s tour film Force Majeure, as well as Madonna’s Secretprojectrevolution film about freedom of speech.

“We’re a technology company, we’re really good at moving files. We’re not so great at being a label, a film studio or a book publisher. So we’re trying to make something that works for individuals, labels and aggregate publishers,” BitTorrent’s chief content officer Matt Mason told the Guardian in September.

BitTorrent is far from the only technology company touting its ability to distribute original TV shows to an online audience. Netflix and Amazon both have well-established initiatives in original shows, with the former’s House of Cards and Orange is the New Black having been widely acclaimed.

Online video service Hulu is also investing in original shows, while studio Sony Pictures Television is distributing its first original series, Powers, through the PlaySTation Network community. Rival Microsoft recently shut down its Xbox Entertainment Studios division, however.

• What are BitTorrent bundles and how can I download them?