interesting development that could open the floodgates for a wave of new creators seeking to monetize their content directly

a pre-bed thread https://twitter.com/taylorlorenz/status/1293643614636183561

essentially OF is a video streaming service that’s accessible to anyone to set-up an account, publish content and charge a subscription to their audience

it’s quick, easy and simple - it’s an 80/20 rev split between creator and OF

if you’ve got content you can get up and running in minutes

up until now the primary clientele has been adult performers who are unable to share more of their ‘risqué’ content on platforms like Insta - but there’s definitely a community of non-adult creators like chefs, fitness trainers, etc.

with Cardi B now launching her own channel, a precedent has been set for other celebrities, musicians, athletes and other well-known to follow suit - and you can bet you’re going to see them do so

take athletes for example. without being able to compete during lockdown, many have turned to the likes of TikTok and Instagram to build out their own personal brands separate from the teams

see this article via @sportspro

soccer players produced 15% more video content during lockdown with an 82% increase in viewership https://www.sportspromedia.com/news/soccer-social-media-video-views-instagram-football-lockdown-coronavirus

it makes sense that some would want to capitalise on this newfound exposure and directly monetize their audience with BTS content - especially when in unique situations (like a bubble) that people are desperate to be exposed to

this is particularly attractive to “tier 2” athletes who maybe don’t have the name recognition to see huge $’s via ads (making YouTube less attractive as a primary channel) but still an audience that’s willing to pay directly for content

the opportunity also exists for niche brands. building out a video service with subscription payment model isn’t cheap by any standards.

sure, you can go on YT, but you have the same problem as above - not enough scale to properly monetize your video content

OF solves this problem. expect to see an array of interesting brands explore the platform as a new revenue channel

i’d be particularly excited to see cultural temples (e.g. museums, research institutes, galleries, etc.) experiment with it

anyway that’s it for tonight. what do you think?

h/t to @gbaroth for inspiring the thread