YouTube wasn't the first to come up with the content creator reward model. By giving producers a cut of ad revenue, SpyMac gains content, page views and consequent ad income, reports MediaPost.

The SpyMac Network is an offshoot of the Mac/Apple rumor site SpyMac. The online video destination has witnessed video content and viewership rise since it launched in January. 5,000 to 10,000 videos are uploaded each day, all of which are original productions. By catering to original creators, SpyMac says it can avoid the copyright issues plaguing YouTube and other sites.

Revenue is paid to content creators based on the popularity of their videos. To date, SpyMac estimates it has paid out over $373,000 to content owners. Ads are served by a third-party provider.

Creators are given a number of tools to help them promote their videos, which have the added benefit of driving traffic to the SpyMac website.