New Zealand has a long if not proud tradition of Indie TV. From Back of the Y to Pop Stars, we made it first and we made it cheaply. We now have the opportunity to redeem ourselves through Internet Television. Vint Cerf, one of the founding fathers of the Internet, said recently that television is reaching its "iPod moment". He sees a future for live TV coverage of news, sports and events but believes that broadcast TV as we know it is dying.New Zealand has a long if not proud tradition of Indie TV. From Back of the Y to Pop Stars, we made it first and we made it cheaply. We now have the opportunity to redeem ourselves through Internet Television. Vint Cerf, one of the founding fathers of the Internet, said recently that television is reaching its "iPod moment". He sees a future for live TV coverage of news, sports and events but believes that broadcast TV as we know it is dying.It's a great time for anyone with a video camera and a good idea. You can be making a name for yourself and growing a global audience, rather than waiting for the networks to read your pitch. Best of all, video makers and producers of indie TV are being offered a share of the advertising pie.

Even video giant YouTube is going down the shared revenue route. Full details are yet to emerge, but it seems that they are only planning to share revenue on content with "large, persistent audiences". So unless you are another Lonelygirl15, it's unlikely that YouTube will be offering you a share of their advertising. Luckily, there are a number of video hosting sites that share their proceeds with the little guys.

Metacafe runs a Producer Rewards scheme that pays $5 per 1000 views (once you have over 20,000) and an average score of 3.00 (out of 5) on their rating system. Their top producer Kipkay has earned over US$57,000 so far, specialising in hardware-hacking how-to guides, which are proving extremely popular with the social news networks.

Blip and Revver both offer a 50/50 split of advertising revenue, with copyright held by the creator in a non-exclusive deal. The earning potential of Blip and Revver is currently unknown, as both sites are working to attract advertisers and increase revenue. Formerly known as Grouper, Crackle is media giant Sony's attempt to get in the online video arena. Great if you want to get your content onto PSP screens and in front of the eyeballs of millions of teenagers, but for now there is no share of any revenue.

Current TV is the new international indie TV network from Al Gore and friends, with excellent how-to guides on making content and useful documents like release forms. As well as providing online channels, Current TV is broadcast on community television networks across the USA and UK, with plans to roll out internationally. They estimate that they currently reach around 50 million homes worldwide, Pods are between three and seven minutes, promos 10-30 seconds and they can be on any topic you have a passion for.

Once uploaded the Current audience votes by giving 'green-lights'. Once a show is green-lighted it will play on their TV network. Rates are negotiated on a per-pod basis, and one of Current's best ideas is VCAMs (Viewer Created Ad Messages). Viewers can create advertisements and get paid if they are used commercially, with rates starting at US$1000. Theoretically if your ad makes it to the Superbowl ad break you can earn up to US$50,000 from one great idea.

If you're not sure where to start then Make Internet TV is another great site with step-by-step instructions for shooting, editing and publishing online videos. If being a media magnate is more your thing then you can also make money with a video channel. Launched in April 2007, Magnify.net allows you to curate your own niche video channel.

Currently short form content is most popular online with clips of between 30 seconds to 3 minutes the most popular. Smaller clips are currently most accessible for viewers on slow connections. However, as broadband access and speeds increase, viewers are likely to watch longer form content through live streaming. So get shooting editing and posting your Indie TV. Invent a new genre. Make your own series. Just no more reality TV please!

Image: Unless you're another Lonelygirl15, you're unlikely to get a piece of YouTube's advertising pie.

12/9/07

As well as being TBI's strategist, Helen Baxter a.k.a. MsBehaviour runs dance-music label TMet Recordings, 3D animation company Mohawk Media and has a fortnightly slot on National Radio called 'Virtual World'.