As written here a couple weeks back, YouTube says it'll begin running ads around the videos of its most popular amateur producers. And producers like LonelyGirl15 and LisaNova will get a cut.
This represents the first step in "monetizing" the viral video craze.
It also further blurs the line between "viral" and "professional" video. Viral has always meant the amateur stuff that's made in bedrooms and screened at sites like YouTube. Then there's the professional grade stuff made at places like Warner Brothers Studios and shown on cable and network TV.
Increasingly the two types of videos are being watched in the same places. It's no secret that shared video sites have played host to professional video like Saturday Night Live sketches, and probably always will, regardless of the outrage of mega corporations like Viacom. And, viral video is beginning to make its way onto the living room screens that have traditionally been the exclusive domain of professional content. Some of the cable companies are developing new channels that feature viral video hits.
Still, the makers of professional and home-made video live in separate worlds. Sites like YouTube and MySpace have become huge American Idol stages. Many of the people posting video there are auditioning to move over into that Promised Land of professional video.
The entertainment industry already knows how to make money from professional video. They're not so sure of how to make money from viral video. YouTube and its advertisers are taking the first step in that learning curve today. It will be interesting to see how YouTube watchers tolerate the ads.
YouTube is also ushering in a new way of measuring viral video. Viral videos have always been measured by clicks, but now they'll be measured by the number of ad dollars they bring in. And advertisers will want the right kind of viewers. They will begin asking a lot of questions about the crowd a particular video producer attracts. Do they have expendable income? Do they buy Nike shoes?
If viral stars like LonelyGirl15 (shown above) and LisaNova start racking up big time ad dollars, if there's no backlash, you might begin seeing more ex-viral stars with their own shows on NBC. Is this the new reality TV?
