Video Sharing Evaluation: MetaCafe

MetaCafe is another video hosting and syndication service that provides revenue to producers. Like AtomFilm, MetaCafe is a selective content distributor and all submissions must be approved by a selection committee before they are posted. The site doesn't detail exactly the type of content they are looking for, but we've had our animation rejected for its frank sexuality which I guess was to racy for even the adult filter section.

Also like AtomFilms revenues are generated on a per view (instead of a per click) bases. Canadian Press reported on March 29^th that MetaCafe "offers creators $5 for every 1000 views." For those of you who aren't that good at math, I'll break these numbers down for you.

$5/1000 views = $0.005 per view or $0.01 for two views

That's a fair bit behind what the click through service Revver.com that in our experience averages $0.025/view. These royalties are paid on consistent and predictable bases, which makes it very attractive. But does MetaCafe have the traffic to make it worth while?

An examination of the site's most viewed content reveals MetaCafe's revenue potential. The most viewed clip, "Animals vs. Humans" has 11 528 064 views over 17 months, or $57 640; the second most viewed clip, "Freaky Women in an Elevator" has 9 313 248 views over 11 months, or $46 566. Many clips have enjoyed 200 000+ views or $1000.

So MetaCafe could be a great revenue generator for producers and the clips syndicate easily on the T-Cast Network. The video ads are post roll as opposed to AtomFilms pre-roll model, which is nice because viewers aren't really all the patient. Thank you MetaCafe, for creating such an innovative service.