Metacafe rewards most loyal short video makers
The independent video web site Metacafe has launched a rewards programme called 'Producer Rewards', aimed at helping video-creating consumers gain recognition and rewards for their best work.
Consumers who create video clips to share with others through the Metacafe web site can earn US$5 with each 1,000 views of their video clip. There is one main condition attached to the offer: The reward is collected in exchange for a non-exclusive right for Metacafe to distribute the video clip "on any platform" (including mobile networks).
Rating the clips Any video clip can be pushed onto the Metacafe home page based on its quality and popularity (determined by Metacafe's proprietary VideoRank algorithm). With Metacafe attracting a worldwide audience of nearly 17 million viewers each month, the web site's operator claims that its top 200 video clips achieve more views than the top 200 videos on other video sharing web sites such as YouTube.
"Anyone can upload a clip to the web, but it remains extremely difficult to attract viewers and make money," explained Arik Czerniak, co-founder and CEO for Metacafe. "Producer Rewards provides a straightforward payment programme and a fast path to a global audience that relies solely on the quality of the video."
Beta programme results In a four-week trial, Producer Rewards videos were viewed more than 10 million times. Thirty video creators earned more than US$60,000 (combined), and Metacafe gained the rights to hundreds of user-generated clips with proven appeal.
According to Metacafe, an artist and zoo groundskeeper in San Diego, California, made more than US$5,300 during the four week beta test period, with two of his video clips being viewed more than 1 million times. And Canadian martial artist Joe Eigo was another success story, with his video now having been viewed over 4.5 million times through Metacafe.
Earning rewards Any video clip can be submitted to the Producer Rewards programme, as long as it is legally owned by the person submitting it, and is suitable for all audiences. All video submissions are distributed to a random selection of more than 100,000 reviewers who opt-in to review them. This review process filters out duplicates and content that does not meet the Producer Rewards guidelines.
Once a video is accepted, it becomes available for the web site's users to view. From there onward the ranking and success of the video is determined by the Metacafe audience's response to and interaction with it.
Payment of the rewards begins after a video passes a minimum threshold of 20,000 views, and when the user community has given the video an above-average rating. The company says that a good video can achieve its first 20,000 views within a few hours, also suggesting a strong viral/word-of-mouth network within the web site's user base.
It's not just about the adverts Importantly, viewers do not have to click through on accompanying advertisements for producers to receive their rewards - they only have to watch the video itself. Metacafe estimates that approximately 30% of videos on the web site have already exceeded this threshold.
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