Online video site Joost told subscribers it will end all software support for its original software application as of this Friday. The software was a key part of Joost’s video distribution through P2P systems.

SEE ALSO: Joost Launches Flash Version For Browsers: Easier But No Hulu

Now, Forrester Research analyst James McQuivey tells Multichannel News, the development means that P2P as a way to legally send professional videos to viewers is dead.

With broadband penetration growing, allowing for wider viewing of streaming videos and relying on P2P networks is seen by Joost as irrelevant, especially with the rise of Hulu for primetime content. As we said back in September, when Joost announced it was shutting down its desktop version, which still used the P2P networks, it had planned to release a small plugin that would embed itself in the browser and allow users to grab files. As Rafat noted in that post, even downloading a plugin would still be an unappealing element in Joost’s efforts to get increased takeup of the service. Since then, it has introduced a flash version for browsers and an iPhone app as it tries to refocus. It’s also working on getting an app on Facebook.

The site currently has about 57,000 videos from nearly a dozen broadcasters, cable nets and media companies, including backers Viacom (NYSE: VIA) and CBS (NYSE: CBS). As for abandoning the P2P software, Joost said it won’t be making any organizational changes.