Vimeo enters subscription video business with new tools for creators

BY SAHIL PATEL

Vimeo is offering a new way for individual video creators to make money on its platform—as part of a broader expansion the company has planned to get into the subscription video business.

The company, which has long eschewed the ad-supported model, has released a new set of tools for creators to sell and control monthly subscriptions across Vimeo’s distribution footprint. This means that creators can now offer subscriptions via the Vimeo On Demand storefront, Vimeo’s Publisher Network (which includes more than 100 publishers offering curated libraries to their respective audiences), and on any website using Vimeo’s embeddable HD player.

Creators will also retain a lot of control over how their subscriptions work. With the new tools, they can set pricing, offer subscriptions worldwide or restrict them to select countries, and offer their fans additional perks such as free subscription trials, free episodes, and exclusive bonus material.

On the audience and monetization front, Vimeo is offering a stats dashboard that provides information on aggregate subscriber data, including new subscriber count and revenue. Creators will keep 90 percent of all revenue made from subscriptions after the customary transaction fees, said Vimeo.

Of course, this is just the beginning for Vimeo when it comes to subscriptions.

“Subscription video-on-demand is a natural extension of Vimeo’s transactional VOD platform, giving creators a new way to sell content to viewers worldwide,” said Vimeo CEO Kerry Trainor in a statement. “Online video is entering an exciting new stage where creators don’t have to rely on pre-roll advertising alone to earn money, and Vimeo is building the open global platform for paid video distribution.”

Read the full article at the Video Ink.

Illustration by Fernando Alfonso III