The other question is the legal ramifications if the continue TPB's current "illegal" activity and profit from them. I think even in Sweden the legal base there is questionable (after the judgment against the four founders of TPB)...

yes this is a bit of a win for the media companies - now there will be a paper trail to sniff around at and the company is leaps and bounds more open to legal action.

I suspect some media company execs are getting quite excited at this. I cant figure it out becuase TPB MUST know that the original model will probably have to die - unless they havent told the whole story?

At the press conference they had some vague idea about monetizing search and, with their new protocol, lowering peering costs for ISPs. They also claimed that the file-sharers themselves could get paid for sharing certain files. The investors funding the deal was said to be individuals. It all seems kind of uncertain at this point, but this won't be the last thing we hear about this.

Edit: The deal is not finalized, they still need to confirm funding and get approval at a shareholders' meeting, with the condition that they can use tpb in "an appropriate and legal way".