Metacafe’s Producer Rewards™ Program Pays Big in First Month

Top 5 Video Creators Take Home over $10,000 Each

PALO ALTO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Metacafe, the world’s largest independent video site, today announced that one month after going live, the Producer Rewards™ program has delivered significant earnings and visibility for content creators around the world. Producer Rewards videos have been seen more than 19 million times, and the top five creators have earned more than $10,000 each.

“Producer Rewards participants are being paid every time someone watches their work while creators on other sites are waiting for ad clicks that may never come”

Launched on October 30, 2006, the Producer Rewards program pays creators $5 for every 1,000 views of their video clips on Metacafe.com in exchange for the non-exclusive right to distribute their work on any platform. Clips on Metacafe begin earning money once they exceed 20,000 views and a 3.0 rating. Viewers do not have to click on an advertisement for creators to receive compensation.

Metacafe is the only site that mines the collective wisdom of its viewers to filter and surface the most entertaining videos. Any Producer Rewards video can skyrocket to the Metacafe front page based solely on content quality as determined by community reviewers and Metacafe’s proprietary VideoRank™ technology. More than 16 million viewers visit Metacafe every month (comScore, October 2006) and good videos can surpass 20,000 views in just a few hours.

“Magic” Roy Raphaeli is one of Metacafe's top ten Producer Rewards members who has already earned $10,800 with his short videos of card and magic tricks. “Magic” Roy explains: “I have a full time job, so I don't always have the time to perform, but anytime I have some free time I pull out the camcorder and work on some tricks. Producer Rewards has provided me with a nice side income, and really put my name out both in the magic community and in general. Having my short videos on Metacafe has worked out really nicely."

“Producer Rewards participants are being paid every time someone watches their work while creators on other sites are waiting for ad clicks that may never come,” said Arik Czerniak, CEO of Metacafe. “Content creators are quickly experiencing the Producer Rewards advantage: a straightforward payment program and a fast path to a global audience that relies solely on the quality of your work.”

Producer Rewards: How It Works

Any short video can be submitted to Producer Rewards as long as it is owned by the creator and suitable for all audiences. Once a video is accepted into the Producer Rewards program, the video is immediately exposed to Metacafe’s worldwide community of more than 16 million monthly viewers. At that point, it’s up to the Metacafe audience to determine the success of the video.

Metacafe’s VideoRank uses proprietary algorithms to factor in all aspects of viewers’ interactions with video content. Rating and site placement is determined automatically by VideoRank with no editorial involvement, and constantly updated based on changes in viewer behavior.

About Metacafe

Metacafe is the world’s largest independent video site based on global traffic, total page views and time spent on site. Metacafe is the only site that mines the collective wisdom of its audience to filter and surface the most entertaining videos, making it the best place to both watch and distribute high quality and entertaining video content. For more information, please visit www.metacafe.com.