Nintendo has, in its infinite wisdom, decided to declare war on the fans who dare to post videos of themselves playing Nintendo games. Not only is this a terrible decision in terms of a rich corporation making money off its fans, it may not have any basis in copyright law.

Let’s Play! Or Not

People have been posting videos of themselves playing video games for since the dawn of online video. Some people even play games for others to watch live on the likes of TwitchTV. And they get viewers watching regularly.

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As was rumored for some time, YouTube has started charging for content, with paid channels making their debut. The pilot scheme gives qualifying partners the opportunity to erect paywalls, but will viewers pay in the numbers needed to make this worthwhile?

Paid YouTube Channels

YouTube has rolled out its first paid content, with a pilot scheme which sees 50 channels offering subscriptions costing $0.99 per month. All offer a 14-day free trial, and there are discounts for longer subscriptions.

The pilot scheme includes channels as diverse as Jim Henson Family TV, UFC Select, and GayDirect. In the coming months YouTube is promising a wider rollout which will see partners able to set up their own paid offerings.

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YouTube has long been seen as a possible alternative to pay-TV offerings, with a mix of music videos, television shows, and movies providing the needs of viewers. To truly be an alternative to pay-TV, YouTube itself may start charging for access.

Original YouTube Channels

There has always been original content on YouTube. Once Google had (generally) rid the site of the copyright-infringing clips that were its lifeblood in the early days, videos created by real people like you and I became the mainstream fare.

In 2011 YouTube sought to up the quality of its original content, giving producers a budget in order to create content for 100 premium channels. That process is continuing, with YouTube adding many more channels to the line-up at the end of last year.

The next logical step would be to start charging people to watch these premium channels. Which is exactly what looks set to happen.

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YouTube Partners, the individuals or organizations who go that extra mile, are being rewarded by YouTube. Both in monetary terms and by being given actual prizes by the Google-owned video site.

YouTube Partners

It could be argued that YouTube Partners are now the lifeblood of the site. These are the channel owners who are producing original content deemed worthy of incorporating advertising against. The revenue is split between YouTube and the Partner.

YouTube Partners range from famous celebrities and musicians right through to amateurs at home creating content with their own video cameras or smartphones. What they all have in common is adding something to the site beyond another video of a cat acting stupid.

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Amazon Studios has selected the first four shows it wants to develop further as part of its quest to create original content. If successful as pilots these shows will end up on Amazon Instant Video or even on mainstream TV.

Amazon Studios

The likes of YouTube, Netflix, Hulu, and Yahoo are all now in the business of producing original content, whether it be films, television shows, animated shorts, or documentaries. And now Amazon has officially joined that burgeoning list of online production houses for streaming media.

Just last month Amazon Studios put the call out for submissions in the comedy and kids television genres. Anyone was invited to submit an idea for an original television show, with the best of the best promised a chance to actually get their idea made with additional funding from Amazon.

The first four shows have been selected, and have now been moved to the Development Slate. From here the writers will be assisted in getting their ideas turned into pilots which will then be subject to testing by audiences.

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YouTube Live looks set to take off in a big way thanks to the introduction of monetization options. Content owners will now be able to make money from live-streaming content via pay-per-view or in-stream advertising.

YouTube Live

YouTube began experimenting with live-streaming several years ago. In 2008 co-founder Steve Chen signaled it was on its way, and over the next few years carefully controlled live-streaming events such as Indian Premier League cricket matches and a U2 concert were staged to test the technology.

In September 2010 testing began on the live platform with selected partners. A full launch then occurred in April 2011, but the number of partners was limited, with many content owners put off by the lack of monetization options open to them. But no longer.

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The BBC could soon be selling shows – both old and new – to the British public who originally funded the making of this content in the first place. A good idea, but not a wholly moral one.

BBC & The iPlayer

The BBC is responsible for some of the best television content on the planet. Shows such as Doctor Who and Top Gear have millions of fans around the world. And with the iPlayer it also provides one of the best catch-up TV services on the planet too.

However, there is an opportunity being missed here; to sell content to the public after transmission. According to paidContent, the BBC is now developing plans to rectify that situation.

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