VentureBeat

Monetization. It’s a word that comes up a lot. Especially in our industry because quite a few prominent sites on the web have yet to nail it. I constantly hear three in particular that people like to talk about: Twitter, Facebook and YouTube.

YouTube is the one that gets dragged through the mud most often. That tends to happen when a service gets purchased for $1.65 billion and hasn’t, as of yet added much to the company’s bottom line.

But sometimes monetization is about more than simply slapping ads all over a site. (Are you listening ESPN.com?) Sometimes it’s about being creative with ways to make money while providing services that users want.

YouTube appears to be taking a step in that direction tonight with the launch of the YouTube Screening Room. This new area of the site will feature four new high-quality short films every two weeks. There will also be the opportunity for feature length films to debut here.

This service will not only serve as a promotional vehicle for the films and offer filmmakers a chance to get direct feedback from viewers, it will also offer up links to where the films can be purchased. Filmmakers will also receive a majority cut of any ad revenue made off of viewings of the films.

Just hours ago I wrote a post wondering if YouTube could become a portal for free, independent movies in the living room? While the first batch of short films are a bit more polished than I was thinking about, many written, directed and staring actors I’ve actually heard of, this should generate more excitement about the idea and may open up the audience to works by lesser knowns down the line.

This YouTube Screening Room will also involve films from all around the world.

Read more about the service here.