What is Floatplane?
Floatplane is an independent video hosting and subscription platform created in 2018 by Linus Media Group, the team behind the popular YouTube tech channel Linus Tech Tips. It was envisioned as a way for creators to have more control over their content and closer relationships with viewers, without relying on ad revenue or platform monetization schemes.
On Floatplane, creators can upload videos, set up paid memberships at various tiers, communicate directly with subscribers via posts and livestreams, and avoid many of the copyright claims or demonetization issues that often happen on YouTube. Viewers who subscribe get access to exclusive content and direct access to creators they want to support. The platform handles video hosting, encoding, and delivery as well as membership management.
Unlike a crowdfunding site like Patreon, Floatplane is tightly focused on video hosting and streaming capabilities. And unlike YouTube, it does not insert ads or take any revenue share. The pricing, content schedule, community interaction features are all controlled by individual creators on their Floatplane channels. Linus Media Group takes an overall cut to fund the platform development and operations.
As of late 2022, Floatplane remains in an invite-only public beta. Prominent tech YouTubers like Linus Sebastian and TechLinked use it for extra content and fan communities. It plans further features for both creators and viewers as adoption continues to grow.