
Show HN: Infstream – We’re trying to fix video monetization for creators - 0x62
TL;DR: https:&#x2F;&#x2F;infstream.com&#x2F;?code=HN<p>Hi HN – we’re Ben &amp; Callum from Infstream. We’ve always been heavy users of YouTube, for entertainment, education and sharing. Towards the end of last year, we saw more and more horror stories of YouTubers losing their livelihood to the ad algorithm.<p>We decided to build a content-first video platform, which aims to reduce issues by removing advertisers from the equation. Instead, we charge for the content you watch – bold, I know.<p>Instead of paying in advertising and data, users on Infstream build their own streaming package, a channel at a time. Anyone can start a channel (US &amp; UK now, Europe soon) and earn directly from their subscribers.<p>Subscribers pay $1 per month per channel, of which the channel receives $0.75. This all begins from the first subscriber, there are no minimums to start monetization.<p>Channels have total control, and can publish on a daily, weekly or monthly schedule – whatever is working for them and their subscribers. They’re free to keep publishing on other sites (we recommend it), and can promote exclusive content to their existing audience, quickly growing an ad-independent revenue stream.<p>We’re getting ready to launch, and are inviting creators to sign up beforehand to get their channel ready. If you or a connection has had issues with publishing on YouTube we’d love to hear from you, and learn some more about the pain points.<p>The platform is stocked with demo content, it would be great to get some feedback.<p>https:&#x2F;&#x2F;infstream.com&#x2F;?code=HN<p>This was also my first production project using Hasura (super positive), so can share my experience if you’re considering trying it.<p>Stack:<p>- Hasura (GraphQL)<p>- Lambda + S3<p>- Mux<p>- Cube.js<p>- Stripe Connect &#x2F; Atlas<p>- Vue 2<p>Callum and I will be hanging out in the comments to answer any questions. Feel free to drop me an email at ben@infstream.com if you’ve got questions or want to chat.
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callumc100
Hi - Callum here. Feel free to drop me an email at callum@infstream.com if you
have any questions or would like to discuss anything further.

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alexmingoia
How do I discover content without paying? If I have to subscribe to watch then
it seems I won’t be spending time browsing around watching content like
YouTube. Can the creator choose to publish free videos?

IMO YouTube has massive audience and watch time because it’s free to watch.

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0x62
Hi Alex! Channels can set a full-length public intro video, displayed on their
homepage. Each video also has the option of a free preview at the beginning,
or can be made completely public.

We're not seeing this as a replacement (yet!), just another option for content
creators to monetize. Some sell merch, but that requires dealing with physical
products and areas they're not familiar. Infstream allows them to easily
charge for behind-the-scenes/directors cut/mini series.

We're not expecting users to browse in the same way as YouTube initially,
rather come to a specific channel directly from that creators social media.

