It seems like there is a lot of talk these days about YouTube and what it’s going to do with smaller creators. The company recently purchased YouTubeRed, which used to run video ads on YouTube stars’ videos without charging them. Now they are working on a new program that will allow those smaller creators to run their own advertising on their channels.
So, who will benefit? Here’s a look at who will be best served by YouTube’s latest change:
The creators of smaller channels are the first target. Their viewers are their main source of income. They create videos that entertain, inform, or otherwise entertain their audience. These are the types of videos that advertisers look for, so they can spend money on them. The ads that YouTube will run on smaller creators’ videos won’t cost them anything, either.
But even those smaller creators need to be happy with this move by YouTube. They need to be able to make the videos they produce as entertaining as possible while still making some money. The change makes it easier for them to do so. However, it doesn’t mean that YouTube has become the place where all advertising is permissible. This site remains a great community for watching videos, but it doesn’t mean that anyone should go in there and expect to get rich.
The way YouTube will run ads on smaller creators’ videos without paying them is by associating their channels with a larger destination. The home page will contain links to other videos. When someone clicks on one of these, the ad will show up. The stream will be controlled by the channel itself, not by the individual smaller creator. It’s similar to how Google shows contextual ads on its search results.
The benefit to viewers is that the stream will be more dynamic. It will appear when someone searches for a specific term. The ads will update as relevant videos are added or deleted, too.
Of course, the revenue generated by the ads on smaller creators’ pages is only part of YouTube’s plan. The company also wants to attract more mainstream viewers. So it’s likely that the days of the smaller ads will soon be gone. YouTube will begin displaying customized search results in which the search terms that were entered will be shown in order of relevance. This is similar to how the sponsored listings work on other sites. Sponsors will bid on keywords related to their product.
In the future, YouTube may stream the movies and TV shows directly from its servers to any location. The larger benefits of this kind of arrangement are clear. Viewers will have access to the movies when they are ready. On the smaller creator’s side, the ads on their videos may increase in size until they no longer appear as small dots in the middle of the screen. They may become bigger, with text or image ads.
The choice will come down to whether YouTube will stream the movies and TV shows to smaller websites, or to those that are associated with major media companies. It may be worth it to stream to those websites. That way, viewers won’t miss any of their favorite videos. At the very least, those will be the ones they can’t find when they’re trying to stream the ads on their larger site. Either way, this new feature may benefit those who post videos that others want to see.
Some people worry about YouTube “monetizing” their smaller videos. Will YouTube start charging small website owners to stream their videos? No one is yet sure how YouTube will accomplish this, but it could happen. The company has indicated that it will continue to make its videos available free of charge. However, it’s not clear how YouTube will change its revenue sharing system when it becomes popular enough to attract large media companies to post ads on smaller creators’ videos. Media companies can choose to stay within YouTube for now, or to launch their own websites to stream their videos.
Other companies have already made the move to YouTube and have become major players in the site. These include video game companies, who have used YouTube to attract more players to their games. Other big names, such as Pepsi, have also created small video websites in order to draw in viewers. If these companies begin to stream the ads on smaller video websites, smaller creators won’t be able to compete. They might find their entire website deleted from the search results entirely. This could put the smaller website out of business.
When Google bought YouTube, it became a powerhouse in the online video, and everyone knew that the site was soon to transform into another massive force in online advertising. It’s unclear how YouTube will change its revenue sharing model, but for now, it is working hard to attract more viewers and to increase its popularity. Smaller video websites will need to respond in order to stay in business. Don’t let your videos pass by without investing in high-quality streaming.