Squarespace has introduced a new video feature for content creators that provides them with the ability to sell access to videos either as a one-off or via a continuing subscription plan. The website creation and hosting service will offer 30 minutes of uploaded content for free, while creators looking to post more content have the option to sign up for Member Areas plans, starting at $9 per month. To compete with the likes of YouTube, Patreon and OnlyFans, users will be able to upload video directly to their Squarespace site with options for monetizing content. The company’s native video player offers “slick playback” and “deep integration into the Squarespace platform.”

“These clips will be hosted natively on the platform itself although users can route in videos from YouTube and Vimeo where necessary,” reports Engadget. “This is very much an extension of the work Squarespace took to enable its users to earn subscription revenue back in 2020. Much as it did back then, the company said that its new paywall and membership features are targeted toward chefs, instructors, wellness providers and educators.”

Search Engine Journal notes new features announced by Squarespace:

• All Squarespace hosted videos will be played on our new video player with slick playback, speed controls, resolution controls, and a deep integration into the Squarespace platform.
• Customize video details: Titles, descriptions, URLs, custom thumbnails, metadata, and more can be fully customized.
• Merchandise video content: Videos can easily be categorized, arranged, and styled to best represent a customer’s brand.

The move by Squarespace is part of a broader push by platforms to enter the video space. Late last year, Patreon announced it was building its own video player. San Francisco-based newsletter service Substack launched a private beta for its native video player this week. Content creators can share video publicly or through paid subscriptions. Musician Patti Smith and chef Andrew Zimmern are among the early testers.

“Videos will be playable on web versions of posts and they’ll appear as clickable images in emails,” explains Engadget. “Substack notes that creators have full ownership of their videos, as with their mailing list and everything else they share on the platform.”

Meanwhile, “Facebook and Twitter have made a push into newsletters over the last year amid Substack’s rise to prominence and the battle to attract and keep creators on their platforms.”