Patreon is developing a video hosting platform as well as a native player. CEO Jack Conte confirmed the idea to The Verge, along with the news that he will begin a podcast called The Creator Economy, like many other executives before him.
“We already host podcasts, and now we’re starting to host video, as well,” he says. “We’re building a video product … So in terms of how we’ve approached our strategy, and what exactly it is that we’re building, we’re building the horizontal architecture for any creator, no matter their medium, or no matter the upload format, to be able to build a business around their work.”
Conte didn’t provide any other information about the service, but it’s likely a mechanism for creators to host and share video without having to leave the site. It’s still unclear when it’ll go live or how widely it’ll be used.
Nonetheless, Conte’s acknowledgement of the goal and work toward allowing producers to natively host their films on Patreon may encourage more people to avoid or at least reduce their reliance on YouTube. The company also has a Vimeo integration, which may become less significant once this service goes live.
Of course, the thought of a firm releasing its own native video product in 2021 is audacious, but it speaks to broader frustration with YouTube’s dominance, as well as Patreon’s desire to become totally self-sufficient.
Conte’s program focuses on the techier side of creativity, thus the timing of the announcement is particularly interesting. Conte will speak with folks like Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian and Li Jin, founder and managing partner at Atelier, who are designing and funding solutions for Patreon authors.
The goal, according to Conte, is to put Patreon’s name next to these people and promote Patreon’s vision for the creator community.
“We want to attract the most awesome, forward-thinking, curious people who are building for the creator economy to Patreon,” he says. “We want those people to hear how we think about the world, and our vision, and what we want to build, and what we believe in, and who we are.”
The show will be ad-free and available for free on all platforms — there will be no Patreon-funded tier — and will air yearly, with 12 episodes planned.
