Amazon has become a major player in the online video space in recent years, with the company’s Prime Video service taking on Netflix by offering subscribers access to thousand of movies and TV shows.
Now Amazon is taking on YouTube in the user-generated video space as well.
Amazon Video Direct allows professionals and amateurs to upload videos and get a cut of the revenue.
When you upload a video you can make it available in the following ways:
- Ad-supported and available for anyone to view
- Through Prime Video (get a cut of subscription revenue)
- As an add-on-subscription through Streaming Partners Program (Customers can pay an additional fee on top of their Prime membership fee)
- Available as a one-time rental and/or purchase
Some of Amazon’s launch partners include Conde Nast, HowStuffWorks, Mashable, Machinima, The Guardian, and Samuel Goldwyn Films. But anyone can sign up through the Amazon Video Direct website.
Clearly Amazon will have an uphill battle if it wants to unseat YouTube’s dominance in the user-generated content space. But whereas YouTube initially made its name by hosting amateur videos and only later moved into curating professional content, Amazon is taking the opposite path, and that means there’s already plenty of high-quality content available.
Now it’s about to be joined by a whole lot of other crap. And maybe some hidden gems.
Amazon will also distribute a share of $1 million per month to the top 100 titles available through Amazon Video Direct… which could provide an incentive for some video producers who might otherwise be tempted to stick with YouTube, Vimeo, or other services to give Amazon a try.