YouTube: Freedom MCN + Why Being Managed Equates to Huge Risks!

Earlier this December, a new YouTube MCN (network) popped up offering some rather drooltastic benefits that may rival that of Curse Union for Gamers.

Founded by George from TGN, Freedom network is designed to be a network for anyone in any category, that emphasizes in freedom from YouTube and other networks' limitations. It offers the following:

• No lock-in forever
• Managed status instead of affiliate for every channel
• No minimum payout (if you earn $1, they'll pay you $1)
• 60% revenue share, growing up to 110%
• Transparency (view all your earnings direct on YouTube)

You may recalled I praised Curse Union for Gamers for potentially moving the majority of their channels to managed status, and moving newly partnered channels to managed within a few weeks of non-copyright issues. Well, they apparently took back their words. Yep, they recently released a statement that they will only be putting trusted channels as managed now. 

Why is it that networks have such a sudden fear for putting their channels as managed?

Being managed status turns out not to be all sweet and sugar like it's made to be. It turns out that networks do take a huge risk in managed channels, and that managed channels themselves are also at risk. This is because the network shares responsibilities for each managed channel, and all managed channels share responsibilities for another's actions.

In other words, if a managed channel receives a copyright strike, then YouTube will consider that as a copyright strike against the entire network. Rack up enough copyright strikes and the network will lose features such as custom thumbnails, modifying channel art and using annotations for every one of their channels. If the network receives 20 copyright strikes from managed channels total, the network will be terminated and the channels may not be able to upload any new videos.

Affiliates channels don't have this issue. Their behavior are similar to ones today, in that they are responsible for their own actions, and if they receive a strike it count against them and not the entire network. Hence, affiliate channels are much safer from all standpoints compared to managed channels. Nevertheless, affiliate channels will not be granted instant monetization and be subjected to YouTube monetization review.

So the question is: 
Would you rather be managed and receive instant monetization, but take huge risks in your own channel because of the actions of other managed channels? Or would you receive no instant monetization, but be more safe, responsible for your own actions and not have it affect the entire network?

Even if you're an affiliate, you shouldn't worry too much about YouTube's monetization review. We don't know how it works yet, but should you be able to continuously keep getting accepted every review, it'll be enough for YouTube to give you instant monetization again (due to their trust algorithm). This in the end will be better than being as managed. Nevertheless, I still believe it will difficult to monetize gameplay videos as an affiliate channel, commentary or not.

Want to be managed? Join Freedom.
Prefer to be affiliate and a gamer? Join Curse Union for Gamers.

Source: https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/3463396