YouTube is most certainly a go-to site for videos. Founded by Chad Hurley, Steve Chen, and Jawed Karim in 2005, it is the most comprehensive site for posting and viewing videos online. And it is the second largest search engine to #1 Google.
The video sharing and viewing site has four billion unique visitors per day with six billion hours of video watched per month. This most certainly makes YouTube an industry giant and leader.
The video giant is not solely for video browsing and posting either. Its revenue sharing feature boasts an estimated 500 hours of uploaded video on the site every minute. In 2015, YouTube’s global net ad revenue was $4.28 billion, according to DMR stats.
Take Your YouTube Video Love to Town
Browsing YouTube can, however, get a bit tedious. Maybe you want to switch things up or have a second video viewing site in your favorites list. You may also be searching for new ways to monetize your videos.
Whatever the reason for your video adultery, there are a few excellent sites quite similar to YouTube. Facebook Video, YouNow, Vimeo, Dailymotion, and even the Russian RuTube offer similar posting, viewing, and in some case, monetizing options.
1. Facebook Video is a Contender to YouTube #1 Title
Facebook Video has become a fan favorite among Facebook fans and YouTube fans alike. The Facebook-inspired video sharing platform generates more than eight billion views per day. YouTube has roughly five billion per day, according to DMR stats.
With 1.39 billion people using Facebook on their iPhones and Android devices, cheating on YouTube is easy. Most people already have a Facebook account, and you can even make one for your brand. Bud Light even held a Facebook Video contest to find the next Super Bowl correspondent for 2016.
The current growing focus on Facebook Video right now makes it an excellent place to post. More than 500 million people watch videos on the site daily. And in 2015, 1.5 million small businesses posted videos on the site. Mobile ad revenue topped out at $3.4 billion in 2015 as well.
A few YouTuber’s may be making the switch to Facebook Video over the next couple of years. It even has developed a revenue share program for some video creators. Facebook Video may be the largest video site, second to YouTube.
2. Vimeo is the James Franco of Video Sharing Sites
Like James Franco, Vimeo is not too famous, but popular and artistic enough to keep making big strides in the industry. So what if you don’t have a billion users. With 35 million registered members, Vimeo is definitely a worthy backup to YouTube.
Founded by Zach Klein and Jake Lodwick in 2004, Vimeo boasts 170 million monthly viewers with roughly 715 million Vimeo video monthly views. There is a lot more Vimeo video business happening on the site compared to YouTube. Vimeo has a 20 percent B2B content distribution, however, only nine percent of U.S. small businesses use YouTube.
In a sense, Vimeo is the eccentric artsy younger brother to YouTube. They certainly have similar features, however, Vimeo has become the go-to platform for people to post mini films and episodic shorts. Vimeo attracts those who want to attract a certain audience, instead of using the wide breadth of YouTube.
One great similarity to YouTube is the revenue sharing models Vimeo offers. They even have a virtual “tip jar” and Vimeo on Demand features. If you are looking to post more cinematic artsy pieces and target that demographic, Vimeo may be worth the browse.
One very interesting fact about Vimeo is that it is not headquartered in Silicon Valley with the rest of the innovative video platforms. Vimeo is staying true to its roots and has remained in New York City despite the site’s success.
3. YouNow and the $50K Virtual Tip Jar
YouNow might not be as big as YouTube, but they are growing exponentially. This online video platform’s popularity among millennials has generated more than 100 million monthly user sessions. In fact, YouNow hit one million users in just 10 days after launching.
One of YouNow’s most unique features is its focus on live streaming. YouNow sets itself apart from YouTube by dismissing the traditional engagement features such as shares and upvotes. It’s the interaction between video performers and their audience that sets YouNow apart from other video platforms.
There are 150,000 YouNow broadcasts daily with an average mobile broadcast length of 18 minutes. And the average mobile session is six minutes. The target audience on YouNow would be the millennial age range, since 70 percent of YouNow’s users are under the age of 25.
YouNow may not have the big ad revenue market like YouTube, but it does put a value on social commerce. YouNow viewers can toss a few YouNow “bars” to video creators in their virtual tip jar if they feel the urge. This feature allows YouNow top creators to make in upwards of $50,000 yearly.
The theory behind YouNow is people want social interaction in every possible way. YouNow gives their users just that. You can live stream yourself talking on camera, having dinner, and even sleeping.
4. Dailymotion Puts Community First
With more than 20 million desktop viewers and 54 million mobile browsers, Dailymotion emphasizes its community-first approach. It may not be as buzz-worthy as YouTube, but it is most certainly a worthwhile platform. Well known in the gaming community, Dailymotion has 11 million gaming content visitors per month.
Dailymotion was launched in 2005 and it’s headquartered in Paris, France. It has 128 monthly visitors to the video sharing and browsing platform, available for iOS and Android.
Like YouTube, Dailymotion boasts a vast set of analytics with a revenue sharing program for video creators. It also offers a content ID system that helps their users keep an eye on copyright violations.
Similar to YouTube, you will need to create an account to upload or comment, however, you can browse and view videos on the platform without one. One great feature that makes Dailymotion stand out is its availability in 18 different languages. And 38 localized versions.
5. RuTube is Russian YouTuber’s Choice
The Russian video sharing and viewing site RuTube is very similar to YouTube. Like most American inspired sites in Russia, RuTube and YouTube share many commonalities. It is like another Facebook vs. VK, or Google vs. Yandex.
Despite RuTube being similar, yet less popular, the video platform still has plenty of fans in Russia and abroad. RuTube maintains a 50 percent Russian user base. The rest of the sites viewers hail from France, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, and Azerbaijan.
Interestingly, the majority of RuTube viewers are male, spending roughly five minutes browsing the platform on average. Data shows that 13.2 percent of RuTube traffic comes from direct RuTube searches.
From music videos to tutorials, RuTube offers videos from private individuals and license entertainment companies. They even hold a top 25 videos of the year contest on the video sharing and viewing platform. The highest ranked RuTube videos usually include dance videos, stand-up comedy, music videos, news clips, and animal scenes.
Despite YouTube’s firm grip on video sharing, viewing, and monetizing industry, there are some really interesting sites offering similar features. No matter your interests, it is always entertaining to see what else is browsing worthy online these days.
Who knows, you may find a new video platform to monetize. Each site appears to have a niche, putting ad revenue up for grabs. Advertising your business and/or brand across several video sharing platforms is also a great marketing strategy.
