That what an executive from Blip.tv said in an article at TVweek.com.

“There is a very good chance that people creating shows that reach 500,000 viewers a month or more will be able to go full-time,” Ms. Kaplan said. “I don’t know if you should quit your job, but if you reach 500,000 people a month or more, you will have opportunities to monetize it.”

Furthermore…

If a show has an audience of only 20,000 people per month, the creator should spend his or her time building an audience rather than finding a sponsor, she advised.

I find this type of analysis fascinating because this is what I do for a living. I help online businesses monetize.

So I tend to agree with the numbers talked about above. It is VERY difficult right now to monetize online video, but… it’s early in the game. VERY early. Give it a year or so and we’ll see many more “regular” people break out into the scene and start to earn from their video shows.

More great tidbits from the article…

On iJustine…

Her video blog, TastyBlog Snack.com, averages between 30,000 and 100,000 viewers per video. Ms. Ezarik publishes two to three segments per week, generating less than $1,000 a month. She also works as a freelance graphic artist and a consultant on viral marketing.

On Gary V…

Gary Vaynerchuk, host of WineLibrary.tv, draws 40,000 viewers each day to his unscripted, off-the-cuff show about wine. His online identity, as America’s un-snooty wine guy, has caught on by making knowledge about wine accessible to average Joes and Janes.

Finally, some great advice on how to make it as a video blogger.

How to Make It as a Video Blogger
A successful video blog needs to have three things.

First: The first is a topic that is sustainable, said Michael Hayes, senior VP of interactive at Initiative North America. “You can write on cats, but kitty cats aren’t too sustainable. But politics, at least this year, is sustainable, or entertainment news.”

Second: A video blog needs a revenue model—advertising, in most cases.

Third: But to attract ads, a blogger must have the third element—an audience. “You need to have enough traffic to generate eyeballs and interest,” he said. Mr. Hayes advises prospective bloggers to link up with a network of blogs, like the Huffington Post, or to start developing a reputation as a blogger by posting entries to sites such as About.com, which pay for expert commentary on various topics.

Here’s a link to the author of this excellent article.

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