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Ask HN: Online video monetization

2 points by winthrowe ↗ HN
I've gotten an idea for a video based site, but I worry about it not being able to cover its own costs, and ending up being an expensive experiment.

Should I just setup adsense/adsense for video and hope for the best? How have other user generated content video sites bootstrapped?

2 comments

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baltcode
You could also monetize it on youtube. Though that leaves very little control with you and you are just uploading videos.
winthrowe
I suppose it may be possible to host the video on youtube and just embed it, rather than hosting myself. The huge drop in bandwidth and storage costs may very well be worth the loss of control.

What do you see as the major downsides to that loss of control? I think the biggest problem from my perspective is that youtube videos are limited to 15 minutes, unless you're a special partner, iirc. While a bit of a crimp, I don't think it's a showstopper.