User-generated video services have become a thing of the ordinary. We’ve seen mainstream viral services like YouTube, Vimeo and Dailymotion and also streams over Facebook, Instagram etc. Starting Tuesday, though, anyone with an Amazon account can start sharing their life over the platforms latest user-generated content service called Amazon Video Direct.
The service works very similar to most of the existing video upload and stream platforms. You can host videos on your channel and generate royalties based on number of streamed hours. And just like YouTube and other rival services, getting monetary benefits over AVD is also simple and flexible. Users can make their videos available to rent or own, or they can make them free and ad-supported. For larger-scale video providers, Amazon, through the Streaming Partners Program, provides the ability to create add-on subscriptions which constitute of bundled videos.
Not just this, Amazon is also promising that the Top 100 AVD titles in Prime Video will get a share of a $1 million monthly fund. This will be in addition to the total revenue earned and any creator or provider enrolling to AVD will automatically be matriculated.
“Amazon will distribute a share of $1,000,000 per month as a bonus to the Top 100 titles included with Prime through Amazon Video Direct. This bonus—based on global customer engagement—is incremental to revenue earned from hours streamed, rentals, purchases, monthly subscriptions, and ad impressions. All of your titles included with Prime are automatically eligible,”
the company says.
This program is called AVD Stars and it seems to be Amazon’s way of igniting the new service’s wick. It begins today and the consideration of the first bonuses will be based on activity and analytics from June 1st to June 30th.
The new service adds in like a new arm to Amazon’s Prime Video service which already provides TV and movie services to ‘tens of millions’ of users. Apparently, the service will be available, for now, only in the regions where Amazon Video is available i.e., the US, Germany, Austria, United Kingdom and Japan.
“It’s an amazing time to be a content creator,”
said Jim Freeman, Vice President of Amazon Video.
“There are more options for distribution than ever before and with Amazon Video Direct, for the first time, there’s a self-service option for video providers to get their content into a premium streaming subscription service. We’re excited to make it even easier for content creators to find an audience, and for that audience to find great content.”
AVD also provides content creators with metrics that can help them understand their videos’ performance and use this data to enhance it. Initially, users will have the ability to track number of minutes a title was streamed, projected revenue, payment history, and number of subscribers.
The service will be available on all platforms which support Amazon Video. These include mobile phones and tablets (Fire, iOS and Android), desktop, game consoles, connected TV platforms, and Fire TV.
According to many sources, there are many big names that Amazon has enrolled into its new service. Conde Nast Entertainment, HowStuffWorks, Samuel Goldwyn Films, The Guardian, Mashable, Mattel, StyleHaul, Kin Community, Jash, Business Insider, Machinima, TYT Network, Baby Einstein, CJ Entertainment America, Xive TV, Synergetic Distribution, Kino Nation, Journeyman Pictures, and Pro Guitar Lessons are a few to name.
