YouTube to share ad wealth with posters

U.S. video Web site YouTube said Tuesday it has moved to share advertising revenue with makers of popular one-off viral videos.

YouTube Product Manager Shenaz Zack said in a blog post the Web site, which is owned by Google Inc., is expanding its ad revenue-sharing YouTube Partnership Program from certain prolific uploaders to anyone whose video goes viral and becomes an Internet smash hit, no matter how often they post content on the site.

Now, when you upload a video to YouTube that accumulates lots of views, we may invite you to monetize that video and start earning revenue from it, Zack wrote, adding that YouTube will use such criteria as the number of views, the video’s virality and compliance with the YouTube terms of service.

Under the expanded program, the makers of such classic, one-off YouTube viral videos as Battle at Kruger, David After Dentist and Otters Holding Hands will be eligible to share ad revenue, Zack said.