YouTube will soon allow users to charge rental fees to access their videos. That means “John Doe” will be able to upload a video to YouTube and then charge viewers to watch it. None of the details about the plan, like who can charge for access to their videos, how much they can charge and how long rental periods can be are available yet.
When the plan is in place it will provide additional sources of revenue for both YouTube and users. Currently, the only way a YouTube user can earn money is through the Partnership Program, where YouTube displays ad’s on popular videos and shares some of the revenue with the video creators.
I wouldn’t expect YouTube’s new user rental option to be a free-for-all though…it’s most likely to be available (at least at first) only to select video producers.
While everyone is entitled to make a buck or two however they can, my first thought was how is a viewer to know whether a video is worth paying for without seeing it. As intriguing as “Cat on toilet” may be I am not likely to set up automatic PayPal withdrawels for YouTube viewings.