YouTube (Finally) Letting Users Cash In
Google-Owned Video Site’s Partner Program to Let Users Share Revenue on Original Submissions
By Alex Weprin -- Broadcasting & Cable, 12/10/2007 3:22:00 PM
Making good on a promise made in January, YouTube will allow anyone living in the United States or Canada to apply for its partner program. By joining the program, users will be able to share revenue on any original submissions with the Google-owned video site.
While anyone can apply, not all applications will be accepted. On the YouTube blog, the company explained what it was looking for in its partners: “We feel that it's important to reward our most dedicated community members: Those who are regularly uploading original content to YouTube. In evaluating applications, we will focus on the users who have built a significant audience on YouTube (as measured by video views, subscribers, etc.) and who consistently comply with the YouTube terms of use.”
On the marketing side, the move allows advertisers to market toward the unique audiences that each of the participating content providers can bring to the table.
YouTube already signed up some of its more successful members, including Tay Zonday of “Chocolate Rain” fame and Hot for Words, which features a leggy blonde named Marina explaining the origins and proper use of words.
According to YouTube, many of the professional partners who consistently generate videos that garner more than 1 million views have been earning thousands of dollars per month from the partner program.
