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YouTube To Allow Self-Serve Ads For Major Media Players
thefickler writes to tell us that YouTube plans on raising revenue by allowing major media players to run their own ads on the video site for, not only their own content, but illegally uploaded content by other users. "The site says CBS is already on board for the scheme, with other giants expected to join. The scheme will allow TV, movie and music companies to upload content and then sell advertising themselves, for example through images or animations which are overlaid on suitable sections of the clips. YouTube will then take a cut of this advertising revenue."
but illegally uploaded content by other users
You mean, possible copyright infringements?
How about "innocent until proven guilty"?
Okay, so this sounds really smart at first: studios get some money when people watch something they have helped create, and the mashup artist gets some peace to show his stuff.
But wait... the ad would not be beside the video, but *overlaid* ????
So let me get this straight:
- knock knock, we're from the 'church' of Scientology, and we own the content to that (anti-scientology) clip. Can we overlay it with an ad for us, which lasts for the whole duration of the video, and cover the whole screen?
- Sure, I'm just an automated bot; pay me 10$ and you'll be on your way!
Don't take my posts literally; it's just code to control my botnet.
No, it's how they want to earn money. Please don't tell me you didn't see this coming.
Because the services cost money to run and are free to use.
For most websites advertising is not just another revenue stream, it's their ONLY revenue stream. Servers and bandwidth cost money, and if you're doing something right, lots of money. If you're doing something right with video it's a heinous amount of money. Having a successful website doesn't qualify you for instant magic payments, you have to go earn the money somehow.
It's amazing that so many bright people who work with technology just don't get this concept (perhaps they live mainly in academia, where you do get magic payments)
The subscription revenue model died out five years ago. It didn't work. It turns out most people prefer to have their content for free and see a few ads rather than pay $30 a year for no ads. I have seen sites that went the wrong direction (ad funded to subscription only) and they either very quickly reverted or died. Traffic dropped by 90-99%, revenue by 50-75%. They can make it in some very specialised sectors (eg finance, nautical weather) but by and large it's a dud model.
I would guess so. I'm guessing that is why they've been vetting their videos. First they got rid of everything sexually explicit and now they are getting rid of things that are graphic. Probably because they don't want to piss off their advertisers. One of my favorite former youtube videos was of a guy who had wrapped tinfoil around his male parts and stuck it into an electric socket. No naughty bits showed (less than what you can see in a PG-13 movie) but they've pulled it from the site.
Though I think I would laugh so hard I'd wet myself if the tinfoil video was followed by a Reynold commercial.
Don't anthropomorphize computers. They *hate* that.