While many video platforms are all about the ad dollars, Vimeo is betting an ad-*free* platform will be its growth driver. “There are a lot of platforms out there that are in a battle for eyeballs and ad dollars, and they’re increasingly becoming more like walled gardens, where they’re trying to keep content on their platforms,” CEO Anjali Sud told Cheddar. “And what we believe is that Vimeo has an opportunity to be truly creator-first. That means we want to help creators get an audience on and off Vimeo, and we can do that because we are ad free.” That mantra may already be providing the IAC-owned company a boost. Subscribers increased to 847,000 in the third quarter, up 14 percent from a year ago. The company is also increasing its focus on live content -- in September, Vimeo acquired Livestream, which hosts 10 million live events per year and pulls in more than 40 million monthly viewers. Sud says that is where the industry is going, pointing out that Facebook changed its News Feed formula after finding live content got 6 times more engagement than other videos. “Live was the #1 feature request from the Vimeo creator community last year,” she said. “That’s because live streaming is not only becoming popular among consumers, but it’s also increasingly becoming an essential way for businesses and organizations to get their audience and to tell their story.” For full interview, [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/vimeo-ceo-on-platforms-creator-first-vision).
