12 Best Video Monetization Platforms in 2023 (Ranked & Reviewed)

With the video streaming market revenue reaching around $95 billion in 2023, video monetization has become one of the most profitable solutions for publishers. However, with multiple available monetization models and platforms, publishers first need to decide how to monetize their content and which platform to entrust with this task. So to help you choose, we have decided to give an in-detail overview of the best video monetization platforms in the industry.

What Is Video Monetization?

In simple terms, video monetization is generating revenue from online video content. Depending on the monetization model, publishers profit from video ads, subscription fees, or direct deals with brands and content creators. 

How Publishers Can Monetize Videos

Publishers can monetize their video content using the following methods: 

Through Affiliate Deals — Publishers make direct deals with content creators and brands. These deals grant the publisher a percentage of revenue or a fixed fee for each new client or purchase the brand gets through them. For instance, a company might assign a creator an affiliate link, and the viewers can use this link to access the brand’s website and get a discount. A cut of the made profit goes to the publisher. 
Paywalling Content — Simply put, users pay a certain fee to access individual pieces of content indefinitely or for a limited time. With this monetization model — TVOD, the revenue income is unpredictable, so it’s more practical for publishers with premium content (e.g., newly released movies). 
Creating a Premium Membership — SVOD relies on recurring membership payments from users — monthly, yearly, or any other predetermined period. SVOD is one of the most popular monetization models for OTT streaming services. Once they subscribe, users can access content for a specified period and an unlimited number of views. They can usually back out at any time, upon which they lose access to the content. This option is most suitable for publishers who regularly release new content.

Serving Video Ads — Publishers can monetize videos by serving ads within the video stream (native player). This model is great for publishers with video content of their own or an AVOD platform (a platform that grants users free access to content in exchange for viewing advertisements). However, publishers without video content don’t need to worry. They can easily incorporate outstream ad units into their website, as these units appear on the side of the page body content (in a player on the side/corner) and can be used to play video ads.

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Which Video Monetization Model Is the Best?

The best video monetization model will vary depending on the publisher scale, audience size, the industry the said publisher is in, as well as their content — their website’s content vertical and whether they lease, purchase, or produce their video content. 

For instance, affiliate deals are great for influencers and content creators with an established audience. TVOD is most practical for publishers with exclusive content, and SVOD is great for large-scale publishers. Similarly, AVOD is excellent for publishers with a growing or large and diverse audience, lower–quality content production, or shorter videos. However, nowadays, even large broadcasting companies, such as Fox, have started adopting AVOD with their ad-supported free streaming service Tubi. 
Of course, combining two or more monetization methods on one platform is always possible. For example, you can offer a free, ad-supported plan to users who simply don’t want to pay for content but leave the option of subscribing to your services for content without ads like YouTube does.

Why Choose a Premium Video Monetization Platform Over a Free One

A software solution is necessary to serve ads. For instance, if you’re interested in displaying video ads, you need to employ a video ad network or sign up for an online video platform that would take care of the entire process. 

There are both free and premium monetization providers out there, so you might be wondering — why should I pay for a service I can get for free? Free monetization platforms usually take a big percentage of the publisher’s revenue or have full/more control over the monetization process than the publisher. 

Let us take YouTube as an example. Many smaller content creators generate video ad revenue by allowing YouTube to serve advertisements on their videos. However, the platform itself takes a considerable part of the revenue. That is why many content creators resort to affiliate deals to supplement their income.

YouTube also maintains full control over what kinds of ads show up on publishers’ videos, their floor CPMs, and so on. In addition, free platforms often claim the rights to all the content uploaded on their websites, meaning that content creators don’t own their content anymore. And lastly, free video platforms often have insufficient content security in place.
In contrast, with a premium platform, while more costly, you gain total control over your revenue and content.

Top 12 Video Monetization Platforms in 2023

Deciding how to turn your content into a source of income is only the first step. Now, it is time to choose the right platform to help you do so. Let’s look at some of the best video monetization platforms of 2023.

1. TargetVideo

Monetization Model	Key Monetization Features	Pricing	Free Trial
AVOD	Video and display ads Various video ad formats Video header bidding Contextual targeting Engaging ad units Ad podding Header bidding analytics	Custom	Yes

TargetVideo is an end-to-end video management and monetization platform for medium and large publishers that includes multiple practical features such as unlimited private hosting, live streaming, in-depth analytics, a fast HTML5 Video Player, audience engagement tools, and OTT solutions to help grow your viewership. In addition, for publishers with no video content, TargetVideo’s Video Content for Publishers offers a rich library of original video content from a wide variety of verticals (food, parenting, home, and more).

Monetization Overview

As a premium video revenue and engagement platform, TargetVideo offers numerous video ad formats, including instream and outstream video ads. The platform also has an array of engaging ad units designed to enhance the user experience and maximize the effectiveness of ads, such as the sticky ad unit, which remains on the user’s screen even as they scroll. 

The platform relies on programmatic technology and header bidding to deliver ads and generate revenue with minimal effort. Detailed header bidding and ad analytics are also available. What’s more, with TargetVideo’s Managed Ads service, publishers can leave their ad stack management and optimization to an expert ad ops team. Whereas for prebid auctions, the automated Prebid Price Floor Optimizer does all the work and sets your price floors (for each auction) to the most optimal value. 

TargetVideo’s Premium Demand provides publishers with access to quality ads from an exclusive network of advertisers. Additional platform perks include ad podding, VAST and VPAID compatibility, contextual targeting, dynamic ad insertion, and more.

Pricing Overview

TargetVideo offers a free trial for one month, after which publishers can continue with the Starter Plan for only $49 per month or upgrade to a Custom Plan. Publishers can also apply for a free trial of the Custom Plan by contacting the sales team. The Custom Plan is tailored to the publisher’s budget and requirements, and the pricing is individually negotiated.

2. Uscreen

Monetization Model	Key Monetization Features	Pricing	Free Trial
SVOD, TVOD	Subscription tiers Free trials Rentals Lifetime access Pay-per-view Various payment options	Starts at $79/month	Yes

Uscreen is a video management and monetization platform that focuses on providing OTT support. It allows publishers to launch mobile and CTV apps. The platform also includes a reliable video player, live streaming, marketing & analytics tools, and, as mentioned, monetization support.

Monetization Overview

The platform allows publishers to monetize videos in two ways — by offering memberships (SVOD) and through one-time transactions (TVOD). When it comes to transaction-based monetization, Uscreen offers several options. First is the pay-per-view model, where users have to pay a small fee each time they want to access a piece of content. Rentals are another option; they provide time-limited access to content without limiting the number of views. Lastly, publishers can sell content bundles or offer lifetime access to their content for a one-time fee. The other monetization option, SVOD, works on recurring payments. Publishers can set up multi-tier subscription plans (i.e., plans that offer varying levels of content accessibility at varying prices) and even give a time-limited free trial.

Pricing Overview

Uscreen charges publishers a monthly or annual fee based on their pricing plan. In addition, publishers pay a recurring fee for each subscriber and a one-time fee for individual transactions. The following are Uscreen’s available payment plans:

• Basic ($79/month or $99/month, $0.99/subscriber/month, 5% per transaction) — Customizable website, flexible pricing options, marketing tools & automation, business & customer analytics, and more.  
• Growth ($159/month or $199/month, $0.85/subscriber/month, 5% per transaction) — Everything in Basic + Community, eCommerce integration, 3rd party integrations, free migrations, and more.
• Plus (custom base price, $0.50/subscriber/month, 5% per transaction) — All in Growth + live streaming, mobile apps, account management, API support, and more.

3. Brightcove

Monetization Model	Key Monetization Features	Pricing	Free Trial
AVOD, SVOD, TVOD	Ad network integrations Programmatic ad technology Various ad formats	N/A	Yes

Brightcove is an enterprise video platform with comprehensive features and solutions for large publishers. It offers secure video hosting, a variety of video management and distribution tools, live event streaming support, video marketing toolkits, corporate communication features, and so much more.

Monetization Overview

The platform supports all three major monetization models — AVOD, SVOD, and TVOD. What’s more, the platform has built-in integrations with some of the largest ad networks, providing publishers access to high-quality demand. As a result, the main selling point of Brightcove’s AVOD is instream ads, including pre-roll, mid-roll, and post-roll ads.

Pricing Overview

Unfortunately, Brightcove doesn’t disclose its pricing publicly. If interested, publishers have to contact their customer support.

4. Dacast

Monetization Model	Key Monetization Features	Pricing	Free Trial
TVOD, SVOD, AVOD	Secure paywall 135 currencies supported Free trials Promo codes Instream ads Promo videos	Starts at $39/month	Yes

Decast is an end-to-end live streaming and video hosting platform that offers VOD streaming and OTT broadcasting. It also comes with a comprehensive video content management system.

Monetization Overview

The platform supports all three major monetization models. However, its AVOD support is limited. Dacast’s player is compatible with VPAM, VAST, and VPAID ad tags, and it can serve pre-roll, mid-roll, and post-roll video ads. Unfortunately, the platform doesn’t offer any ad demand, so publishers need to integrate it with their third-party ad network.

Support for TVOD and SVOD is much more extensive. Consequently, publishers can easily set up weekly and monthly subscription plans. What’s more, Dacast’s integrated paywall solution supports over a hundred world currencies and can automatically convert prices for the end user.
Publishers who opt to monetize their content through Dacast’s paywall can even set up discount promo codes (customizable in terms of time zone, beginning/end date, rate, etc.) and group prices — granting viewers access to multiple pieces of content by paying only once rather than for each piece of content.

Pricing Overview

Dacast has four pricing plans for its services, they are the following:

• Starter ($39/month + 9.9% commission + $0.40 per purchase) — Video hosting, live streaming support, mobile streaming, simulcast, advanced analytics, live transcoding channels, and more.
• Event ($63/month + 9.9% commission + $0.40 per purchase) — All from Starter + paywall integration, ad-based monetization, and more.
• Scale ($165/month or $250/month + 9.9% commission + $0.40 per purchase) — Everything in Event + unlimited channels, DRM for VOD, phone support, and more.
• Custom (custom pricing) — A fully customizable plan tailored to your needs.

5. JW Player

Monetization Model	Key Monetization Features	Pricing	Free Trial
AVOD, SVOD, TVOD	Integration with all ad networks Premium ad-demand Video header bidding Cross-device ad serving Innovative ad formats	Custom	Yes

JW Player was one of the first online video solutions on the internet, and it has retained its exclusive status to this day. What started as a web player in 2004 is now undoubtedly one of the largest video management and monetization solutions on the market.

Monetization Overview

The platform integrates with all video ad servers, SSPs, and ad networks, and it provides high-quality ad demand from exchanges such as Google ADX and FreeWheel. It uses state-of-the-art header bidding technology powered by Prebid. JW Player also offers SVOD support and an array of TVOD payment plans with a secure paywall, customizable checkout, and more. 
JW Player allows publishers to serve video ads on multiple devices, including CTVs, mobile apps, desktop apps, and the web. In addition, it is compatible with all the major operating systems and browsers. Apart from the previously mentioned, some other great perks that come with JW Player ad serving include ad scheduling capabilities, ad podding, companion (synchronized) ads, and more.

Pricing Overview

JW Player doesn’t have pre-defined pricing tiers. Instead, it offers a custom-tailored plan to each publisher. So publishers must contact the platform’s customer support team to open an account.

6. Vimeo

Monetization Model	Key Monetization Features	Pricing	Free Trial
SVOD, TVOD, AVOD	Cross-device OTT monetization 100+ currencies supported Free trials and free-to-view content Audience retention features	Custom	Yes

Vimeo is an all-in-one video platform. Currently, it’s one of the most popular video solutions. It is tailored to publishers of all sizes, offering several highly scalable plans. It comes with all the typical features of a video platform, such as hosting, encoding, management, and OTT monetization.

Monetization Overview

This platform allows publishers to monetize by selling their content on a transaction or subscription basis. Publishers can sell access to live streams, whether sporting events, master classes, art performances, or any other online event. They can also sell access to on-demand content through their own mobile, desktop, or CTV app.

In addition to individual transactions, publishers can set up subscription plans for users interested in receiving new content regularly. Vimeo’s paywall supports 100+ currencies. So publishers can accept payments from anywhere in the world. 

Publishers can also offer their audience free trials and limited free-to-view content to attract new viewers. Discount coupons, gift subscriptions, and promotions are also available. 

Vimeo also supports AVOD-based monetization, but this option is for high-volume Enterprise users. The platform doesn’t publicly disclose details concerning this monetization method.

Pricing Overview

Since Vimeo only lets publishers monetize content if they use the Vimeo OTT platform, we’ll take a quick look at its OTT pricing plans:

• Starter ($0/month + $1/subscriber/month + $10 per transaction + upload fees) — Web-only OTT service, SVOD/TVOD capabilities, e-mail customer support, and more.
• Enterprise (custom pricing with volume-based discounts) — Starter + branded apps, API/ SDK support, AVOD, FVOD, up to 3 licenses to Vimeo Studio, dedicated account management, and more.

7. Muvi

Monetization Model	Key Monetization Features	Pricing	Free Trial
SVOD, TVOD, AVOD	Instream video ads Integrations with ad servers Monthly, quarterly, and yearly subscriptions Recurring payments Various currencies and Bitcoin payments Automated recurring payments Shared User ID blocking	Starts at $399/month	Yes

Muvi is a robust, enterprise-level OTT platform with a complete, ready-made infrastructure for large broadcasters and publishers. It also comes with features for audio streaming platforms for music, audiobooks, or podcasts.

Monetization Overview

The platform supports monetization through subscriptions, transactions, and advertisements. Ad-supported monetization comes with integrations with major ad servers, but it also supports third-party integrations for publishers who already have a server. Muvi’s player is compatible with VAST/VPAID ad tags and can serve all types of instream ads.

Additionally, publishers who opt for subscription-based monetization can create tiered plans for their audience and charge a monthly, quarterly, or annual subscription fee. What’s more, they can even enable automated recurring charges to help viewers stay on track with payments.

TVOD and pay-per-view monetization models come with extensive support too. Here, publishers can create bundles. In addition, they can even set up different bundle pricing for subscribers and non-subscribers. Content pre-ordering is another handy feature that will generate additional revenue. Lastly, Muvi has set up technology that prevents multiple users from sharing a single User ID, saving its publishers from considerable revenue losses. 
A great thing about partnering with Muvi is that it doesn’t take a single dime of publishers’ revenue. In addition to this, the platform’s payment processing system accepts a long list of currencies. Publishers can even accept Bitcoin payments.

Pricing Overview

Muvi offers its services at four different pricing plans, all of which also come with a free trial:

• Standard ($399/month + $299/month/app) — Fully-featured White labeled website/app, hosting, and CDN.
• Professional ($1499/month + $499/month/app) — Everything in Standard + Alie recommendation engine, DRM, content partner portal, and policy engine. 
• Enterprise ($3900/month + $499/month/app) — Everything in Professional + dedicated server and enterprise support. 
• Ultimate (N/A) — Everything in Enterprise + unlimited concurrent users, monthly security and performance reports, proactive monitoring, and setup.

8. Connatix

Monetization Model	Key Monetization Features	Pricing	Free Trial
AVOD	Integrated ad demand sources Ad quality control VAST/VPAID support Smart server bidding	N/A	Yes

Connatix is a video management platform focusing on digital video advertising services. Besides a fully-fledged OVP, the platform comes with a customizable video player, video hosting, an array of content management tools, and more.

Monetization Overview

This video monetization platform focuses on AVOD. Moreover, it relies on Prebid-powered real-time bidding to allow publishers to sell ad inventory. The platform uses contextual video advertising to maximize the performance of ads and, by extension, increase ad yield. 
In addition, Connatix has ad server and ad exchange integrations. The platform’s player is also VAST/VPAID compatible. Some other great features include bot traffic detection and filtering, ad scheduling, direct deals, PMP support, and extensive analytics and reports.

Pricing Overview

Connatix has four basic pricing tiers — one of which is ad-supported and comes at no cost to the publisher, while the rest have non-disclosed fixed prices:

• Ad-Supported Enterprise (revenue sharing) — Includes video player, VOD and live streaming, ad scheduling, outstream ads, and more.
• Essentials (N/A) — Includes video player, VOD streaming, encoding, and ADA Disability Compliance. 
• Premium (N/A) — Everything in Essentials + ad scheduling, AMP Framework, and Customizable JavaScript API. 
• Enterprise (N/A) — Everything in Premium + automated A/B testing, live streaming, Native iOS/Android SDKs, and outstream ads. 

9. VPlayed

Monetization Model	Key Monetization Features	Pricing	Free Trial
SVOD, TVOD, AVOD	Flexible subscription plans Multi-currency paywall PPV, time-limited, and lifetime access Server-side and client-side ad insertion Third-party ad vendor integrations	Custom	No

VPlayed is a digital OTT experience platform that offers top-notch products for OTT services, video on demand, audio streaming, online video hosting and management, and live streaming and broadcasting.

Monetization Overview

The platform offers a wide array of monetization options to its publishers and broadcasters. With subscription-based monetization, VPlayed’s users can create flexible subscription tiers (both for live and on-demand content). Additionally, they can offer their viewers free trials and discount coupons, set up recurring payments, and receive notifications for failed transactions.

Publishers who opt for TVOD can sell single and multi-part content, time-restricted or lifetime access, and pay-per-view plans. They can also offer existing subscribers discounted per-item prices for premium content and accept payments in various currencies. 
In addition, VPlayer offers its custom monetization solution PVOD — which lets your viewers gain access to premium content at an earlier stage, i.e., before theater release.

Lastly, VPlayed’s publishers can opt to monetize videos through advertising. The platform supports both client-side and server-side ad insertion. In addition, multiple ad formats are available, including both instream and outstream video ads, interactive and companion ads, ad overlays, and more. 
However, VPlayed doesn’t have existing ad demand. Still, it supports third-party integrations with some of the largest ad exchanges and networks, including OpenX, Verizon Media, AdGear, and more.

Pricing Overview

VPlayed hasn’t made its pricing system publicly available. They create a custom plan for each client, so publishers who want to work with them should contact their sales team directly.

10. Wowza Flowplayer

Monetization Model	Key Monetization Features	Pricing	Free Trial
AVOD	VAST, VPAID, and VMAP compatible Third-party ad vendor integrations Detailed ad analytics TVOD and SVOD third-party integrations	Starts at $49/month	Yes

Flowplayer started as a feature-rich online player but has since expanded to several video-focused services, from hosting to monetization and management. It also offers live streaming.

Monetization Overview

The player’s monetization features focus on video advertising. In addition to client-side and server-side ad insertion, the player is compatible with VAST, VPAID, and VMAP ad standards. 

Flowplayer has no built-in ad demand, but publishers can integrate any third-party advertising network, server, or exchange. The platform also offers detailed advertising analytics and reports that allow publishers to optimize creatives and maximize ad yield.
While Flowplayer itself doesn’t offer TVOD and SVOD, it does allow third-party paywall integrations. This way, publishers can open up alternative revenue streams. For this purpose, Flowplayer also comes with handy features such as DRM encryption, content-sharing prevention, access management toolkits, and more.

Pricing Overview

Since Flowplayer is now a part of Wowza, the free plan is no longer available. So publishers interested in the platform services can apply for the Custom plan by contacting their sales team.

11. IBM Cloud Video

Monetization Model	Key Monetization Features	Pricing	Free Trial
SVOD, TVOD, AVOD	Cleeng integration for paywall support Cross-device support Pay-per-view	N/A	Yes

IBM Cloud Video, formerly known as Ustream, is an enterprise-level video and OTT platform. Since it offers high-end solutions for businesses of various sizes, from small-time publishers with limited content to corporate-level clients with high-volume needs, it has excellent scalability.

Monetization Overview

This platform doesn’t offer precise information about its monetization solutions. However, what is known is that the platform’s users can leverage subscriptions, transactions, and advertising to generate revenue from their OTT platforms or video websites. Even so, IBM urges potential clients to contact their sales team to learn more about their monetization options.

Pricing Overview

IBM Cloud Video offers a free trial along with the following four pricing plans:

• Silver ( Starting at $129.00/month) — For small businesses; 100 viewer hours, 1 TB storage, five channels, and more.
• Gold (Starting at $649.00/month) — Made for medium-sized businesses; 2000 viewer hours, 2 TB storage, ten channel, and more.
• Platinum (Starting at $1,299.00/month) — Great for frequent streamers; 5000 viewer hours, 5 TB storage, twenty channels, and more.
• Custom (N/A) —  Includes custom viewer hours, channels, storage, and more.

12. Setplex

Monetization Model	Key Monetization Features	Pricing	Free Trial
AVOD	IPTV and OTT monetization SCTE 30 ad serving Server-side ad insertion Detailed ad analytics	N/A	No

Setplex is an OTT and IPTV platform designed for publishers who want to start an online or satellite streaming platform. Moreover, the platform uses global CDN technology and top-tier security solutions ideal for broadcasters who want to offer a high-quality service.

Monetization Overview

This platform allows publishers to monetize live and on-demand content through advertisements. The available advertising solutions include server-side ad insertion, SCTE 35 support, and AI technology. Detailed ad analytics are also available. Although the platform doesn’t support SVOD monetization, it allows for an AVOD/SVOD hybrid model through third-party integrations.

Pricing Overview

The cost of Setplex’s solutions is not publicly available, so those interested in partnering with them must contact their sales team.

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Monetize your video content with the help of our powerful Video Revenue & Engagement Platform. TargetVideo offers publishers detailed real-time reporting analytics, an array of display/video/app ad formats, an expert team for ad stack management, high-quality ad demand, as well as a lightweight HTML5 Video Player. So join our platform today to start monetizing!

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