YouTube – the popular video-sharing site – is to launch a new Partner Program to share profits with individuals who post popular videos. YouTube will identify the most popular videos and then notify individual users who have posted them to let them know that they may become advertising partners. The scheme is inspired by the new 'viral video' trend where users upload their own videos. If a video is particularly entertaining it will often be posted in many other places over the Internet and as result get an increased number of hits. YouTube has already begun contacting a number of individuals who regularly post extremely popular videos to invite them to join the partnering scheme, but now YouTube is looking to track the rising popularity of one-off viral videos. Owners of copyright material which is frequently uploaded onto the site already receive a share of the advertising revenues generated by their videos. The new scheme for individuals will be launched in the US initially, with plans for an international version in the near future.
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