No one stores videos on websites because they take up a lot of space. It is much wiser to upload the video to a video hosting platform and place a link to it on the website. Most video hosting platforms are platforms where you can upload and view videos and make money through advertising. Let's take a look at the most popular video hosting platforms today.
You can use YouTube for free, but there will be a 6-second advertisement displayed. To disable it, you can use the AdBlock extension for your browser or officially purchase a premium subscription. A video published on YouTube will be displayed in the search results of various search engines.
YouTube is currently the most popular video hosting platform in the world. Its audience exceeds 2 billion users and continues to grow every day. The most active users are people between the ages of 24 and 45. Younger audiences under 24 are interested in following the lives of bloggers, watching entertainment shows, and gaming playthroughs. The older audience prefers topics such as politics, sports, fishing, history, cars, and repairs. Women under 35 often watch videos about motherhood, beauty, cosmetics, and fashion trends. Short videos with useful tips are also popular on YouTube. Various new movies and series are in high demand as well.
YouTube is a suitable platform for conducting business. Many companies use this video hosting platform to develop their own products and monetize video content. There are several ways to monetize videos, including Google AdSense advertisements, sponsorships, and partnership programs.
To fully utilize YouTube, it is necessary to verify your account. Otherwise, you won't be able to upload videos longer than 15 minutes. Once your account is verified, you can publish videos up to 128 GB and up to 12 hours in duration. YouTube has specific rules, and if you violate them, the administration will block your content. The publication of materials with scenes of violence and pornography is prohibited. The administration takes a negative stance towards any content without copyright.
This is a completely free French video hosting platform. It is particularly popular in Western countries. The content on this site is well-structured and organized. Users have access to a news feed at the top of the page, which allows them to find videos in various categories. News, sports broadcasts, entertainment shows, and music videos are in high demand. Uploaded videos can be shared on social media. There are various partnership programs available for earning money from content. There is strict censorship, and the administration bans users for even the slightest violation of the rules. You can upload videos for free up to 4 GB and up to one hour in duration.
Twitch is a popular American video hosting platform owned by Amazon. Its main focus is on streaming esports events and video game playthroughs. Twitch is completely free to use, although there are additional features that require payment. It has a partnership program and a donation system. Over 600 million people visit this video hosting platform monthly. The majority of its audience consists of children. According to the platform's rules, individuals under the age of 13 are not allowed to conduct live streams without parental involvement.
In the free package, there is a limitation of 250 MB of video per week. After subscribing, users can upload high-quality videos. For organizations that promote their own products, there is a business package that allows uploading up to 5 TB of video to the service.
On this video hosting platform, users can find a variety of content ranging from entertainment shows to documentary videos. Users can conduct live streams and archive video recordings. The site does not support the Russian language. Users of Vimeo can customize various security settings and gather statistical data. It is possible to earn money through partnership programs and there is also a donation system for streamers.
Google Drive is a cloud storage service for hosting various files, not just videos. The free package offers 15 GB of free space. If needed, users can choose a suitable tariff plan for storing their video files. The service interface is user-friendly.
The main advantage of this video hosting platform is the absence of any time or thematic restrictions. Google Drive is often used by owners of business websites as videos can be conveniently integrated. The developers have not provided content monetization. It supports the Russian language.
VKontakte is one of the most popular social networks in the Russian-speaking Internet. In addition to communication features, it offers video hosting and streaming services with video storage on its servers. Publishing content is completely free. There are limitations for a single page: 5000 videos, with each video not exceeding 2 GB in size.
It supports the Russian language. VKontakte is actively used by both individuals and various large companies. Initially, content monetization was absent, and earnings were generated through sales and donations from advertisers. However, since 2021, payment for ad impressions has been introduced.
This video hosting platform appeared relatively recently. As the name suggests, it is an alternative to YouTube. Its main advantage is the absence of censorship and advertising. Users can choose to include advertising in their own videos. Currently, the platform has the following limitations: video length up to 20 minutes and resolution up to 480p.
Visually, the website is very similar to YouTube. Users can conduct live streams, create videos, and utilize native advertising.
This service features music from popular foreign artists. Users can listen to music on both mobile devices and personal computers. Access to this site is limited to specific countries or requires the use of a VPN.
The size of a video file on this hosting platform cannot exceed one gigabyte.
Flickr is one of the pioneers of the internet. It was originally created as a photo hosting platform but later expanded to include video hosting capabilities. Private users and large companies store their files here. The interface partially supports the Russian language.
There are some limitations in the free version, and to remove them, a subscription needs to be purchased.
Vimple is a video hosting platform from Russia. The service is completely free and does not require user registration. There are no restrictions or censorship imposed on the uploaded content. The site lacks moderation. Immediately after publication, a link to the video becomes available. Video files are limited in size, up to one gigabyte.
Using Vimple is completely safe. Only those to whom the owner shares the link can download the file. Advertising can be used in videos, allowing users to earn from it.
So, we have explored some of the most popular video hosting platforms on the internet at the moment. We deliberately did not cover Chinese services as they have specific usage characteristics and may not be suitable for many users. The final choice is yours.