The average US adult watched 157 minutes of digital video content in 2022 – and that number is expected to hit 184 minutes by 2026.
That’s over 3 hours of video viewing time every day.
Between school, work, and unmissable cat videos – there are a lot of topics users want access to online. Video content is fast, easily accessible, and available anywhere you have internet (and even available offline if you download it in advance). Suffice to say, there’s an ever-increasing demand for video content.
So, if you’re a video content creator, it’s time you monetize your work!
Here’s a quick overview of the best video monetization platforms for your business including free video monetization platforms and top features to watch out for.
Skip ahead:
- Ways to monetize your video content
- 10 best video monetization platforms
- 9 things to look for in a video monetization platform
- Start monetizing your video content
- FAQ
| Platform name | Designed for |
| Thinkific | Creating and selling multiple digital products, including online courses and communities |
| The Leap | Effortless, AI-powered creation of digital products like mini-courses, plus email marketing and sales features |
| Youtube Live | Creators with small budgets who don’t need editing and management support |
| Cleeng | Growing and maintaining loyal subscriber audiences |
| Muvi | Creators with bigger budgets who want to take home 100% of the revenue |
| Lightcast | Getting custom-built apps on many platforms |
| JW Player | Businesses that rely heavily on video (eg. newscasters) |
| Connatix | Intelligent video recommendations to users in a cookie-less world |
| Patreon | Sharing multiple media types (eg. podcasts, books, video) with the same audience base |
| Vimeo OTT | Beginners who might want to hire a professional to help |
Related:
Ways to monetize your video content
There are several different approaches to monetizing your video content. Here are some of the most popular:
Ad-based video-on-demand (AVOD)
This monetization approach relies on placing ads before and after your videos to generate revenue. An advertising company or third-party advertising network will pay you to post their ads on your videos. Some companies might pay for an ad as a set fee per period (for example, per month). But usually, ad revenue is paid based on the number of views the ad gets.
This form of monetization is measured in cost per thousand views (CPM). So some of the onus is on the creator to ensure their content (and, in turn, the video ads) get the most views possible to maximize their ad income.
An example of AVOD would be those ads playing before or after your favorite music videos.
Subscription video-on-demand (SVOD)
The Subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) approach is exactly what it sounds like: it gives users access to a collection of video content for a fee, often as a monthly subscription.
Transactional video-on-demand (TVOD)
Transactional video on demand (TVOD) is also commonly known as pay-per-view (PPV). This approach to making revenue off your media requires the viewers to pay to watch a video or to rent it for a limited period.
TVOD can also be combined with SVOD in a hybrid approach. This model charges users a set subscription fee to access some or most of the platform’s available content. Access to premium content is available at an additional pay-per-view cost on top of the set subscription fee.
For example, if you purchase an online course, you are buying into TVOD. Similar to the SVOD approach, TVOD allows you the option of selling your video content directly from your own link-in-bio or creator storefront.
SVOD and TVOD hybrid models
Some content creators offer a hybrid model so that a selection of content is always available through the subscription fee and premium content is available pay-per-view on-demand.
One example of SVOD would be a professional chef selling subscriptions to video cooking classes. One of the advantages of the SVOD monetization approach is that it allows you the option to sell video content directly from your own link-in-bio or creator storefront.
Live streaming
With this approach, users pay to view content as it happens live. Payment can be made ahead of accessing the content or pay-as-you-go which charges by the amount of video content watched. Paid ad strategies can also be integrated into live streams you watch on video monetization platforms like YouTube Live or Twitch.