With Youtube being the dominant online video platform, many businesses use it as their sole method for distributing their online video content. However as a ‘free’ service, Youtube periodically updates its terms and conditions. In the past this has impacted which features you can use on the website, and also any thresholds that need to be met before you can use them.
New Terms And Conditions For Youtube Users:
Over the past weekend Youtube have published their updated terms and conditions that will come into effect on December the 10th 2019. One clause in particular has had content creators up in arms.
“YouTube may terminate your access, or your Google account’s access to all or part of the Service if YouTube believes, in its sole discretion, that provision of the Service to you is no longer commercially viable.”
Some people have taken this to mean that accounts that do not carry advertising (thus not making money for Youtube) or those with a low amount of views may be deleted.
At this stage Youtube have not clarified what they mean with their rather vague new clause. However we have some theories that will hopefully place your mind at rest that your account won’t be deleted.
- As a platform Youtube relies on ‘bums on seats’. It doesn’t matter that your channel doesn’t carry advertising because your viewers will click through to people who do. Additionally if you carry advertising or not, Youtube will still place adverts in the sidebar and with the suggested videos. In short, you still make them money.
- This new clause seems to coincide with the introduction of The Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act in the USA. This will ban ad personalisation aimed at children. This is very bad news for some huge channels aimed at kids. It will give Youtube a very swift way of terminating accounts that breach the legislation with no recourse for the content creator.
- The clause could be intended so that Youtube can remove services it provides that are no longer viable.
- It may also give Youtube a swift way of terminating accounts with extreme views that they would rather not be on the platform without them having to worry about appeals over freedom of speech. They can simply say they are expensive to host and no advertiser wants to work with them.
These are just our theories and hopefully Youtube will clarify what they mean in due course. However, we always recommend our clients diversify their video offerings over multiple platforms. Facebook and Twitter provide video functionality and can deliver to a mass audience. We also recommend Vimeo as a more ‘grown up’ video hosting platform. While it doesn’t deliver the numbers of Youtube, it’s fantastic for many uses including embedding videos on websites. Our “Love Is A Wonderful Feeling” documentary has reached 1500 views on that platform.
If you need help or advice with your Youtube account, please contact Media2u. We are a video production company based in Hampshire with 15 years experience of online video. In fact some of our first online video productions were on Google video. Remember that?
Update 11/11/19 8.39pm
Youtube have issued the following clarification over their new terms and conditions. Despite it’s rather vague wording it does offer reassurance as to what it’s intentions are:
