Patreon is officially launching its own video hosting feature, almost a year after it was first reported.
Patreon creators can now upload videos directly to the platform. After a full year of promotion, Patreon Video will be released to creators with Patreon Pro and Premium subscriptions
“We’re really excited to see what creators do with this feature,” Patreon CPO Julian Gutman told TechCrunch . “I think it’s going to free them up to get back to producing the type of content they want to produce, not what the algorithm wants.”
The feature marks a major change in how creators on Patreon can share video content with their fans. Previously, creators had to upload videos to third-party platforms like YouTube and Vimeo and then embed them on the platform or share links with their subscribers. However, uploading to a third-party app had its problems, such as sharing videos with non-subscribers.
See also: Patreon fires its entire security team
The native, ad-free video player on Patreon allows creators to upload their content directly to the platform, choose thumbnails for their videos, and display audience information like view counts. Creators will also be able to choose who can view the video without worrying about whether links will be shared outside of subscribers. The player is in beta with a select group of creators and, starting today, will be available to all creators on the Pro and Premium plans.
One of the key features of the feature is the ability to create custom teasers — short clips of up to two minutes that creators can offer to the public for free. The idea, Gutman, is that teasers can nudge people in the audience to become paying subscribers by giving them a taste of what a creator has to offer.
For now, Patreon creators on Pro and Premium plans will be able to upload 500 hours of content for free . But Gutman told TechCrunch that by 2024, Patreon plans to turn this feature into a paid feature. The company has yet to work out a pricing model.
See also: Make-A-Video: Meta's new AI technology that creates videos
Video creators are the largest category on Patreon , and even other types of creators, like podcasters or visual artists, upload video content for fans. But for some creators, the need to use a third-party hosting platform has made the process a frustrating one.
Gutman told TechCrunch late last year that the company’s goal for 2022 was to double its staff size. Despite the layoffs in September, Gutman said Patreon’s plan to invest in specific departments has worked well.
Patreon Video will be available on desktop and on iOS and Android. At launch, it will support Airplay on Apple, with Android Chromecast coming soon. The Patreon mobile app will also support picture-in-picture viewing.
Source: techcrunch.com
