What are the alternatives to Youtube or JW player ?

Discover the pros and cons of the different solutions and what solution would suit better your situation based on your needs.

Licensing Solutions

Licensing solutions, like Brightcove and JW player, offer video hosting platforms with various licensing options. These platforms often cater to businesses and organizations seeking professional-grade hosting services. While licensing comes with additional costs, it can provide access to advanced features, support, and analytics that are crucial for larger-scale operations. This is suited for publishers which are doing a lot of direct sales themselves with premium CPM price.

For publishers with the financial means, and who prioritize premium hosting services over full control, licensing solutions can be a valuable choice. Be sure to review the licensing terms carefully to ensure they align with your specific needs and intended use.

Player with built-in monetisation

Video solutions like Viously offer publishers a solution to provide a free video player and built-in monetisation options. The video player is thought to deliver a strong user experience, adaptive streaming, super fast player while generating revenues for the publisher.

This solution is best suited for publishers with audiences over 1M pages views per month. A team is dedicated to support, and proactive help to optimize video inventory, quality and revenues.

Video platforms

Platforms like YouTube or Vimeo offer solutions to host videos for free. These platforms have established user bases and built-in audiences, offering significant exposure for content creators.

YouTube’s Partner Program and Vimeo’s monetization features can be attractive options for publishers aiming to grow their audience and leverage the platforms’ ad networks. However, keep in mind that those platforms are not made to generate video advertising revenues.

In the case of Youtube, you will get some revenues from Youtube.com but if you embed the video player on your website, the monetisation drops massively and the site speed decreases. This is ideal for publishers who don’t have a website, influencers, or media publisher within a complementary approach of on-site monetisation.

Create your own player

Self-hosted video solutions give publishers complete control over their content, enabling them to maintain their brand identity and implement custom monetization strategies. Hosting videos on your own server or using services like Amazon S3 with CloudFront CDN requires technical expertise, but it grants you the freedom to decide how to monetize your videos, such as implementing subscription models, pay-per-view, or integrating with third-party payment gateways.

While self-hosting provides flexibility, it also requires extended management of server resources and optimisation, ensuring smooth playback, and securing your videos from unauthorized access. If you are looking for a solution to monetise with video ads, then, consider the complexity of adding the various demand sources, maintain and innovate for the ever-changing optimal configurations between the player and the Ad sources.

Publishers with a solid technical background and the willingness to take on these responsibilities might find self-hosted solutions to be the best fit. This is ideal for (TV) Broadcasters where the video player is the core of their business.

Choosing the Right Option

As a publisher, selecting the ideal video hosting and monetization solution depends on a few critical factors:

1. Budget: Consider the financial resources you can allocate to video hosting and monetization. Some options might require upfront investments or revenue-sharing arrangements.
2. Technical Expertise: Assess your technical capabilities and willingness to manage servers or handle complex integrations.
3. Monetization Strategy: Determine your desired monetization approach, such as ads, subscriptions, or pay-per-view. Look for platforms that align with your strategy.
4. Audience Reach: Consider the potential exposure and audience reach offered by each platform, as it can significantly impact your content’s visibility.

In conclusion, as a publisher, the key to selecting the right video hosting and monetization solution lies in understanding your specific needs, goals, and resources. Whether you opt for self-hosted control, licensed professional platforms, revenue-sharing, each option has its pros and cons. Take the time to research and compare the features, costs, revenues estimations, and terms of each alternative to make an informed decision that aligns with your publishing aspirations. With the right choice, your videos can captivate audiences and potentially generate revenue, taking your online presence to new heights.