If you follow, or are subscribed to, channels by independent content creators on YouTube, then you’ve probably heard of Patreon. If not, it is a third party subscription platform for content creators to earn another source of income in addition to, for example, YouTube ad revenue. But now, it looks like the platform is making it so that its creators can host videos directly on its site.
The Verge reports that Patreon CEO Jack Conte has confirmed that the platform is building a video hosting solution and native player. Conte says “we already host podcasts”, so it feels like one of those might-as-well moves. And in doing so, it expands the type of content that creators can host directly on it, letting it not rely on outside hosting services.
That being said, Conte says that it won’t be a full on video hosting platform like YouTube or Vimeo. And speaking of Vimeo, Patreon currently supports Vimeo integration, though chances are it will end when the platform is ready to host its own videos.
A little ironically, this comes quite soon after YouTube announced that it will be hiding the public dislike count on videos. While the consensus from the average viewer seems to be near-universally negative, the opinion on independent content creators themselves look to be quite mixed. For those who have been Patreon members and are dissatisfied with the video hosting site, this may be the thing they have been waiting for.
(Source: The Verge)
