Video-sharing platform Portal Wants Each User to be a 'Mini-HBO'
*By Christian Smith*
New video-sharing platform Portal wants to help online video creators cash in on their content, says company founder Jonathan Swerdlin.
"Portal is the first video sharing platform that everyone can use that completely skips the ad model and introduces really easy ways for users to pay each other," Swerdlin said in an interview on Cheddar. "Everyone can be their own mini HBO."
Portal's "freemium" model allows content creators to decide whether to share their content for free or monetize it through subscriptions, paywalls, or tipping, at rates that can range from one cent to $100 per video. Swerdlin said that many content creators offer a few videos for free to hook users, and then require payment to view the rest of their content.
Swerdlin created the company, which counts Mark Cuban among its investors, with the intention of eliminating advertisers' control over digital content, which Swerdlin believes has broken the internet. Free speech is a key component to Portal's function, but Swerdlin notes there are some limitations.
"We have pretty clear guidelines around hate speech," Swerdlin said. "We're going to go on a case-by-case basis, but we're very committed to free speech."
For full interview [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/how-portal-is-giving-power-back-to-the-internets-video-creators).
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About 780,000 pressure washers sold at retailers like Home Depot are being recalled across the U.S. and Canada, due to a projectile hazard that has resulted in fractures and other injuries among some consumers.
President Donald Trump has fired one of two Democratic members of the U.S. Surface Transportation Board to break a 2-2 tie ahead of the board considering the largest railroad merger ever proposed.
