When it comes to uploading video content, YouTube is always the first name that comes to mind. With over 300 hours of footage uploaded every minute and almost five billion videos watched every single day, YouTube is the undisputed king of video uploads. But as more people make the move online, with more personalised needs and requirements, more specialised content uploaders will start to stand out. If you're looking for the next big site to host your creative work, then the following may come in handy.
In the past five years, the experience of watching someone else play video games has become almost as popular as playing the games themselves. We can thank Twitch for that. The Twitch site is made entirely of gaming footage, uploaded by gamers who record themselves playing and reacting to any and every game available. Some of the more popular Twitch personalities have become bona fide stars (in their own world), amassing millions of subscribers and almost as much money (in the form of ‘donations’ from people who enjoy watching them play) during the gaming sessions. With over 100 million people using Twitch monthly, there's no sign of the service slowing down.
The natural successor to Vine (as it’s also a Twitter product), the main difference is that while Vine let you edit videos, Periscope is completely live. With Periscope, you can start streaming live with your smartphone camera and broadcast it to all your followers. People can tune in while you’re streaming, or watch later, thereby letting you share your entire life with strangers online.
Think of Dailymotion as YouTube but with a little less. With only 10 million daily viewers as opposed to YouTube’s 30 million, Dailymotion is (for now) a little less cluttered than its biggest rival, and the recent addition of a Netflix-style recommendation feature means finding that specific video you want is a whole lot easier.
Regarded as YouTube’s more polished cousin, Vimeo is chiefly used by professional filmmakers and artists to showcase their work (for example the series High Maintenance came out on Vimeo before getting picked up by HBO). Basic membership is free, or you can pay R3 000 a year for a Pro membership, which allows 4K video, lets you restrict access to your videos, and gives you 20 GB of uploads each week.
Chances are if you’ve watched your favourite musician's latest video release, you’ve watched it on a Vevo link. Vevo is the go-to resource for official music videos in crisp, clear resolution, and the first place for artists to upload their newest video singles. Vevo also plays on YouTube, which is why you’ll sometimes see channels listed as the artist’s name plus 'Vevo'.
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