Your Content. Your Views. Their Pockets.

Back in May, YouTube announced their right to monetize all content across the platform, a move some expected.

The Changes

In an email newsletter back in May, YouTube announced an update to its terms of service. Among the big updates were facial recognition restrictions, tax withholdings and most importantly: a right to monetize all content.

Fresh off the throes of demonetization, also known as the notorious 'Adpocalypse' that lead to some of YouTube's content creators being denied revenue, the platform now claims the right to run ads across all videos, even on channels not participating in the YouTube Partner Program.

The Impact

For artists and other creators looking to host their videos ad-free, these new terms come as a gut-punch. Similarly, companies and services that host tutorials, course lectures and the works on YouTube will now have to worry about ads on their content that they didn’t approve and will likely not be paid out on.

You may have noticed, ads are already being shown across videos that don't have a monetization contract in place. Additionally, a channel needs to reach a certain level of engagement to even qualify for a paid partner status and receive a share.

We collectively bid farewell to the era of free lessons, home videos and all other personal content on YouTube being free from the annoyance of ads. And so, what started as an independent platform for showcasing creativity is now one step deeper into the corporate void of data-monetization.

The Way Out

While YouTube is still an immensely popular platform with a robust infrastructure, it becomes less and less viable for individual-use cases every day. Platforms, like MediaZilla, continue to gain traction as the go-to alternative for creators and teams that want a delivery-first experience.

MediaZilla isn’t just a spot to host videos, but instead a platform dedicated to your specific project needs from customization, branding and packaging to delivery, viewing and collaboration. It’s not some commercial stop for you to get a generic sharing link; MediaZilla is all about tailoring viewing experiences to each unique need, a place where ads are left at the door and creators are in charge.