There’s no doubt in the fact that YouTube is the world’s biggest online video streaming website primarily featuring user-generated content. Countless YouTube users have generated massive fan followings by posting videos of things they’re passionate about. Whether they’re comedy skits, makeup tutorials, travel videos or political commentary, popular content creators are using YouTube as a major source of revenue.
As rumors of YouTube stars being approached with offers heat up, the Google owned service has announced a few changes that give creators some of the things they’ve been asking for.
It has been reported many times that Yahoo is trying to build a YouTube rival. According to rumors the company is going after popular YouTube stars with offers of better ad rates and greater ad revenue. They may even be provided marketing opportunities on Yahoo’s homepage.
The company may also allow them to sell advertising in collaboration with its sales force. It is believed that some popular YouTube stars think they’re not making as much as they should be on Google’s website, opening the door for Yahoo to swoop in and poach them.
The YouTube team has announced that they will let content creators know about the changes they plan on making to making the experience better for them. It has posted the first Creator Preview video and promises to keep doing this on a regular basis. A separate mobile app for content creators has also been promised which puts most requested features in creators’ hands.
YouTube will now allow users to fund their favorite creators on the site, essentially opening up another stream of revenue and will even let them share revenue from eligible cover song videos. More information on the app and the features it brings will be provided in the near future. Will this be enough to stop them from jumping ship? Time will tell.