Skip to main content

Vimeo makes a deal to help it take on YouTube by offering creators more money

While Vimeo has actually been around for a little longer than YouTube, the video streaming site has never enjoyed the same level of popularity, despite often adding new features first. Now instead of fighting the video streaming giant on its own terms, Vimeo plans to attract independent creators by simply offering them more money, and it’s bringing in some outside help to do that.

Vimeo announced today that it plans to acquire VHX, a platform for what are essentially white-label video streaming services: It provides the infrastructure, while the client provides the content. Vimeo obviously has video streaming infrastructure in place, but what it didn’t have is VHX’s monetization tools, or the talent that created them.

Recommended Videos

“Online video is expanding from a few, mainstream subscription services into a flourishing world of interest-based streaming channels, much like the evolution from broadcast to cable television,” Vimeo CEO Kerry Trainor said in a statement. “Vimeo is home to the world’s leading video creators and the viewers who love them, and we’re excited to add VHX’s team and technology to our streaming marketplace.”

VHX was founded in 2010, and says that there are currently more than 30,000 subscribers across more than 100 channels powered by its platform, according to Variety. There are currently nearly 10,000 video-on-demand titles powered by the company’s platform.

The terms of the deal haven’t been made public, but the 22-member VHX team will be joining Vimeo. VHX co-founder and CEO Jamie Wilkinson will report to Trainor.

“We couldn’t ask for a better partner than Vimeo,” Wilkinson said. “Adding our platform to Vimeo’s massive community of creators and consumers means we’ll be able to move faster, and help creators large and small succeed in the over-the-top streaming market.”

With the addition of VHX, Vimeo says it can now provide a complete subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) solution for “individual creators, niche programmers and major media partners.” This includes the Vimeo site itself, as well as the ability to power SVOD channels across websites, mobile platforms, and apps.

Vimeo offers a number of other perks, including what it calls “best-in-industry” revenue share, but it still remains to be seen if these increased monetization opportunities will be enough to pull creators away from the massive potential audience YouTube offers.

Kris Wouk
Former Contributor
Kris Wouk is a tech writer, gadget reviewer, blogger, and whatever it's called when someone makes videos for the web. In his…
YouTube’s enhanced 1080p video now available on more devices
A settings screen showing enhanced bitrate in the YouTube app on an Android phone.

While it's not unheard of, it was a little odd for iOS devices to get first dibs when YouTube introduced 1080p "Premium" video. But all is now right in the world — "we heard our users loud and clear," YouTube says — as YouTube Premium subscribers now can enjoy that better-looking video on Android devices, on smart TVs, and in a web browser.

YouTube announced the additional devices today on its official YouTube blog.

Read more
YouTube Premium and YouTube Music are now more expensive, too
YouTube Premium on iPhone.

Get ready to pay a little more for a couple of Google's streaming options. As spotted by 9to5 Google, YouTube Premium — the add-on that (among other things) gets rid of advertising on YouTube — is now $2 more expensive each month, landing at $14. The annual subscription rate also is going up to $140, an increase of $20.

Meanwhile, the standalone subscription to YouTube Music (which you get for free if you sign up for YouTube Premium) is increasing by a dollar to $11 a month. That brings it in line with Apple Music, Amazon Music, and Tidal. Spotify now undercuts them all by that single dollar.

Read more
Filmora at VidCon 2023: YouTube Creators Embrace AI for Future Video Content

This content was produced in partnership with Wondershare.
Wondershare's Filmora has shown everyone how it's done at VidCon 2023, highlighting its unique AI-powered tools that elevate video content creation for everyone, not just the experts out there. But before we dig ourselves too deep, let's backtrack a little.

I think most of us can agree we are in the age of artificial intelligence. Maybe it's not taking over anytime soon, but there are dozens, if not hundreds of new tools available across a swath of industries. Of course, it shows some real promise in the world of creativity, allowing many of us to be more productive than ever. The world of video creation is no exception to that rule, and AI really stands out as a useful tool. Understandably, Wondershare Filmora have acted quickly to capture practical trends, by adding AI-powered tools to the video content creation suite. Filmora, as you may know, is an excellent video production and editing tool, that truly simplifies the entire process of video creation -- and allows content creators to take their vision to the next level with unique alterations, effects, and toolsets.

Read more