Patreon wants to take on YouTube and other video platforms through the launch of its own video hosting service. Patreon has long been the go-to platform for viewers, readers, or listeners to support their favorite creators by paying a subscription fee every month. In return, creators typically provide exclusive video content, merch, and sometimes direct access to them.

Of course, YouTube has been the go-to platform for creators to publish videos online. While YouTube is the most popular video platform on the planet, the service still has some issues to resolve. This has led to the video-uploading service making a number of changes recently, with the most recent being the removal the dislike button on all videos.

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Patreon CEO Jack Conte has confirmed to The Verge that the company is interested in hosting videos on its own platform. Conte says, "We’re building a video product" and goes on to explain that Patreon wants creators to have choice, regardless if they end up choosing its own solution or another. Conte did not comment any further on when creators or followers can expect to see the feature go live, but it will be interesting to see which features and integrations Patreon includes with its video service.

Can Patreon Compete With YouTube?

Side by side of Patreon and YouTube logos

Most would argue that YouTube is Patreon's biggest competitor in the space and it remains to be seen if it will be able to make a dent in YouTube's market share. However, Patreon's biggest incentive for getting into video hosting is to make sure creators get paid. In this sense, and while Patreon does face an uphill battle if it wants to compete with YouTube, it will be an option for those who are growing dissatisfied with YouTube.

Patreon already has its own podcasting platform, so hosting video seems like the next logical step in enabling even more more ways for creators to publish their content, and having more choice is never a bad thing. With a large number of creators on its platform, many will likely be happy to switch to an in-house system simply because it's one less website to visit, and one less button to push to publish. Patreon also already offers tiered subscription options to creators, so it is possible that more content gets locked behind a paywall when the support launches. Then again, it is possible that the vast majority of content will remain "free" (with ads) for audiences to watch, similar to how YouTube works.

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Source: The Verge