Video is licensed to AI developers far more often than it is sold outright: the holder keeps the footage and grants training rights for a fee, a royalty or a revenue share. Claru states a typical first archive license at USD 5,000 to 50,000, and Mercor states USD 95,000 to 870,000 for studio footage (both checked November 9, 2026).
This page sets out, for video in AI training data licensing, who acquires footage, who only handles it, the stated terms, the deals on record and the rights to clear first. Not licensing is a valid outcome.
The DataPacts Editorial Team explains how we source, date and check every figure.
Can You Sell Video for AI Training?
Yes, if the seller owns the footage or holds the rights to license it, and the people and music in it are cleared; most programs take a license, not ownership. Holders range from studios and broadcasters to libraries and individual creators.
Demand is large: SpaceXAI's Grok 4.7 training content summary (September 21, 2026) states more than 1 million hours of video in training data, while it declares commercial licenses with rightsholders for text and image only. The full list of data types AI companies buy shows where video sits among the others.
What Footage AI Developers Ask For
AI developers ask for long, original, high-resolution footage with a clear record of where each clip came from: film, TV and sports archives, raw footage, interviews, nature and aerial shots, and footage of real work.
The table compares the footage each acquirer lists and what it requires or excludes, as of November 10, 2026 (terms checked November 9, 2026).
| Acquirer (role) | Footage it asks for, on its own page | Stated requirement or exclusion | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Claru (licensee) | archive footage (security, QA, training, smart glasses); point-of-view capture; drone, dash and body-cam; robotics manipulation | owners of non-public footage; no exclusivity to apply | claru.ai/partnerships |
| Mercor, video production studio listing (program) | original footage the company owns | appearance releases; 100+ hours; record of where each video came from; not a fit: downloaded or third-party clips, non-commercial or no-derivatives licenses | Mercor listing feed |
| Mercor, publisher or education listing (program) | long-form text, courses or video | rights held to license for AI training; hundreds of titles or hours | Mercor listing feed |
| Newsflare (intermediary) | urban street scenes, human-centred footage, dashcam near-misses, CCTV, first-person workplace footage | footage exclusive to Newsflare for AI licensing | learn.newsflare.com |
| Sieve (licensee) | film, TV and sports archives; podcasts; raw footage and editing projects; educational demonstrations; recordings of physical work; gameplay | own or can license the content | sieve.ai/partners |
| Troveo (intermediary) | scripted, documentary and reality, sports, user-generated content, interviews, nature, wildlife, aerial, animation, advertising | own or hold rights; 1080p or 4K preferred | troveo.ai/content-owners |
Mercor's studio and publisher listings differ in scope, and both are set out in the Mercor data buyer profile.
Who Acquires Video, and Who Only Handles It
Video reaches AI developers through four kinds of companies: labs that sign deals directly, licensees that build datasets for labs, intermediaries that license on the owner's behalf, and libraries that license their own catalogs.
Newsflare, Protege, Troveo and Wirestock license footage on the owner's behalf and handle it; they do not buy it.
The table lists each company's role for video as of November 10, 2026.
| Company | Role for video | What it acquires or handles |
|---|---|---|
| Runway AI, Inc. | lab, direct deal | Lionsgate catalog for a custom model |
| Claru (Reka AI Inc. d/b/a Claru AI) | licensee building datasets | archive footage and commissioned capture |
| Defined.ai | licensee and dataset marketplace | video datasets among others |
| Mercor | company data program | owned studio and publisher footage |
| Sieve, Inc. | licensee building datasets | archives, raw footage, recordings of work |
| Newsflare (NEWSFLARE LIMITED) | intermediary, licenses on uploaders' behalf | user-generated, street, dashcam and CCTV footage |
| Protege (Protege Health, Inc.) | intermediary, licenses on providers' behalf | video among health, audio and spatial data |
| Troveo | intermediary, licenses on owners' behalf | catalogs and libraries; royalty per use |
| Wirestock | intermediary, licenses creators' assets | photos, video, illustrations, 3D |
| Shutterstock, Inc. | library licensing its own catalog | contributor images, video and metadata |
How the intermediaries charge and pay is compared on the page for AI training data marketplaces.
Video Licensing Terms by Program: Pay, Exclusivity and Recall
Video programs differ most on three terms: how the owner is paid, whether the license must be exclusive, and whether footage can be withdrawn once delivered.
Newsflare requires AI exclusivity and a 90-day minimum after upload. Claru states that delivered content cannot be recalled from client copies, and Protege licensees keep access for 12 months after termination (s.7.2). For dataset customers, Defined.ai's FAQ calls its license perpetual, while its data license agreement s.8(a) says until terminated; both are stated.
The table compares pay, scope and withdrawal terms for ten programs as of November 10, 2026. Other data types appear in the program terms compared, dated across the site.
| Program | Pay structure (stated by the program) | License scope and exclusivity | Withdrawal, deletion or retention | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Claru Partnerships | archive licenses paid on signed license, net-15; capture paid weekly | non-exclusive training rights; partner keeps ownership; no republishing | term and deletion not stated; delivered content cannot be recalled from client copies | claru.ai/partnerships; claru.ai/privacy |
| Defined.ai Supplier Program | no revenue share published | no exclusivity, no minimums (s.3.5) | customer license: FAQ "perpetual" vs DLA s.8(a) "until terminated", both stated | defined.ai |
| Mercor video production studio listing | deal range to the company, "depends on hours and rights" | owned footage with releases | not stated in the listing | Mercor listing feed |
| Newsflare AI Licensing | 50:50 revenue share from AI clients' usage reports; monthly cycle | exclusive to Newsflare for AI licensing | 90-day minimum after upload; deletion on request takes 30 days | learn.newsflare.com |
| Protege data providers | revenue share with each use; percentage not public | worldwide, royalty-free, non-exclusive license to Protege (s.1.1); provider indemnifies (s.4.1) | licensees keep access 12 months after termination, academic 3 years (s.7.2) | withprotege.ai/provider-terms |
| Shutterstock Contributor Fund | compensation where contributor IP was used; first data-deal earnings Q4 2022 | not stated on page | not stated | submit.shutterstock.com |
| Sieve partners | "Checks them, then pays"; no amount or timing | "You keep ownership"; scope in Sieve's agreement | not published | sieve.ai/partners |
| Troveo content owner licensing | royalty each time content is used; no rate card | owner keeps ownership; private direct-to-lab licensing under NDAs; exclusivity not stated on the page | not stated | troveo.ai/content-owners |
| Wirestock | 50 % commission each time an asset is licensed | not described on page | not described | wirestock.io |
| YouTube third-party training setting | no payments facilitated | permission per video, all rights holders must allow | off by default | support.google.com |
How Video Deals Are Priced: Archive Fees, Capture Hours, Royalties and Revenue Shares
No public rate card exists for licensed footage; the figures on record are a few acquirers' stated ranges and splits, each tied to one structure. Troveo states there is no public price sheet.
Four structures appear, each as stated by the program on November 9, 2026:
- Archive fee: Claru states a typical first deal of USD 5,000 to 50,000.
- Capture hour: Claru states USD 10 to 120 per hour (checked November 9, 2026).
- Royalty per use: Troveo states a royalty each time content is used, without a percentage.
- Revenue share or commission: Newsflare states 50:50, Wirestock a 50 % commission per license, and Protege a share that is not public.
Mercor's studio listing states a deal range of USD 95,000 to 870,000 that depends on hours and rights (checked November 9, 2026). The ranges are not averaged or converted to a per-minute rate, because the units differ.
Price points for every other data type are collected on the page of AI training data prices per work, hour, image.
Video Deals, Filings and Training Summaries on Record
Few video deals publish terms: Lionsgate and Runway disclosed none, and the two listed companies that license footage report it inside wider revenue lines.
Disney and OpenAI announced on December 11, 2025 a three-year character license for Sora and ChatGPT Images; training use is not stated, and Disney's USD 1 billion is an announced equity investment, not a license fee.
Shutterstock's 10-K reports Data, Distribution, and Services revenue of USD 203.264 million for fiscal 2025, with no AI-only line. CuriosityStream's 10-K (filed March 12, 2026) reports content licensing revenue of USD 33.233 million for 2025, with AI and traditional licensing combined.
| Parties | Date | What was licensed | Value on record | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lions Gate Entertainment Corp. and Runway AI, Inc. | 2024-09-18 | film and TV catalog to train a custom model for Lionsgate use | no financial terms disclosed | runway.com |
| The Walt Disney Company and OpenAI | 2025-12-11 | three-year license of 200+ characters for Sora and ChatGPT Images; talent likenesses and voices excluded; training use not stated | no license fee stated; Disney states a USD 1 billion equity investment plus warrants (announced) | thewaltdisneycompany.com |
| Shutterstock, Inc. and OpenAI | 2022-10-25 (expansion announced) | images and metadata; Shutterstock names OpenAI, Black Forest Labs, Runway and ElevenLabs as AI data customers (2026-03-19) | not disclosed; Data, Distribution, and Services revenue FY2025 USD 203.264 million, no AI-only line | submit.shutterstock.com; Shutterstock 10-K |
| CuriosityStream Inc. and unnamed technology companies | FY2025 (10-K filed 2026-03-12) | "hundreds of thousands of hours of video and audio" | content licensing revenue USD 33.233 million (2025) vs USD 7.798 million (2024), AI and traditional licensing combined | CuriosityStream 10-K |
The table compares four licensing records for video as of November 10, 2026. Shutterstock's row is detailed under Shutterstock AI licensing deals.
The Grok 4.7 summary shows how little a training summary says about licensing: its commercial license entry covers text and image only. The template asks only for Yes or No plus the modality (Section 2.2.1), not a list of datasets.
The template stems from Art. 53 of Regulation (EU) 2024/1689, which applies to general-purpose AI providers from August 2, 2025; the AI Act training data summary page sets out what it discloses.
Clearing Footage Before You License It
Footage is cleared on three fronts before an acquirer sees a sample: ownership, the people on screen and the platform it sits on. This section is information, not legal advice.
Ownership, Client Work and Third-Party Clips
Only footage the seller owns or holds licensing rights to can be licensed, which excludes downloaded clips, client work delivered under contract, and footage under non-commercial or no-derivatives licenses.
Under CDPA 1988 s.11(2) in the UK, a film made by an employee in the course of employment belongs first to the employer, subject to agreement. Music in the soundtrack is a separate right. Each clip is checked in a rights audit of the footage before licensing, recording who made it and under what contract.
People on Screen: Releases, Faces and Biometric Rules
Identifiable people make footage personal data, so acquirers ask for appearance releases and some blur faces before delivery. Claru states it auto-scrubs faces, cards and plates; Toloka states it blurs faces, palms, fingerprints and tattoos and removes voices (checked November 9, 2026).
Four rules apply. Illinois BIPA, 740 ILCS 14/15(b), requires written notice and release before biometric identifiers are collected, and 15(c) bars selling them. Under P.A. 103-0769 (effective August 2, 2024), repeated collection from one person by one method is a single violation, with liquidated damages of USD 1,000 for negligent and USD 5,000 for intentional or reckless violations. Va. Code 59.1-575 excludes photographs and audio or video recordings from biometric data (in force January 1, 2023). Texas CUBI as amended by HB 149 (in force January 1, 2026) exempts biometric identifiers used to train AI unless the system uniquely identifies a specific individual. GDPR Art. 9(1) (applies from May 25, 2018) makes biometric data used for unique identification special-category data, needing an Art. 9(2) exception and an Art. 6 basis.
Blurring and voice removal are covered under de-identification before licensing.
Platform Uploads and YouTube's Third-Party Training Setting
Video already on a platform is governed by that platform's terms; YouTube lets creators allow third-party training, but it is off by default and YouTube does not pay for it. YouTube states it is not facilitating payments between third-party companies and rights holders at this time (checked November 9, 2026).
Every rights holder on a video must allow the setting, and it covers public videos only.
What Lawsuits Over Unlicensed Video Allege
Two pending US cases concern video used for AI training without a license: a studio's claim that Meta torrented its films, and YouTube creators' claim about OpenAI and video transcripts.
In Strike 3 Holdings v. Meta (N.D. Cal. 5:25-cv-06213-EKL, filed July 23, 2025), the plaintiffs allege that at least 2,396 adult films were downloaded via BitTorrent to train Meta Movie Gen, LLaMA and other models. The case is pending as of November 9, 2026.
Millette v. OpenAI (N.D. Cal. 5:24-cv-04710) is a putative class action by YouTube creators about the use of video transcripts, not video files, to train OpenAI models. It is part of MDL No. 3143 (S.D.N.Y.) and pending as of November 9, 2026.
The FTC's final Everalbum order (May 7, 2021, File No. 192-3172) required deletion of models developed using users' photos and videos. Rulings and status are on the tracker of AI copyright lawsuits over training data.
Licensing Video: Benefits, Risks, Downsides and Alternatives, Including Not Licensing
Licensing an archive can earn from footage that already sits unused, but delivered copies usually cannot be recalled.
Benefits:
- Unused footage can earn a fee, as in Claru's archive licenses.
- Ownership usually stays with the holder, as Claru, Sieve and Troveo state.
- Revenue can continue with use under Newsflare's 50:50 split.
Risks:
- Delivered copies cannot be recalled: Claru states this, and Protege licensees keep access for 12 months after termination.
- Protege providers indemnify it (s.4.1), so a rights defect becomes the provider's liability.
- People on screen bring biometric and privacy exposure.
Downsides:
- Newsflare's AI exclusivity with a 90-day minimum keeps footage from other AI licensing.
- No rate card exists, so the price is negotiated without a public benchmark.
Alternatives:
- Keep YouTube's third-party training setting off, its default.
- Grant a non-exclusive license, as Claru, Defined.ai and Protege state.
- License a sample or a share of the archive.
- Not license at all, as set out in the decision page on whether to sell or license your data.
The rights audit and the terms offered decide which option fits.
Neighboring Footage Types and the Seller Steps for Video
Video on this page means footage and archives that already exist; footage recorded to order from a person's viewpoint, a dashboard or a drone has its own page. Footage of people also falls under the AI training data law by jurisdiction.
Neighboring pages:
- First-person video recorded to order: Mindrift states USD 6 to 15 per hour of egocentric collection (checked November 9, 2026)
- Driving and dashcam footage: Bee Maps lists USD 6 per AI event video (checked November 9, 2026)
- Aerial and drone imagery
- Still images and photos
- The studio's view of footage licensing
- Individual creators' options
- Contributor funds and royalties
Seller steps for video:
- Read the complete seller guide for the whole process.
- Clear the footage, as above.
- Agree the license, clause by clause, using every clause of a licensing agreement.
- Check how payment works, covered under upfront, milestones and revenue share.
Broadcasters and media companies follow the route described for how media companies license content.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much do AI companies pay for video footage?
No public rate card exists, and the stated figures cover different units. Claru states USD 5,000 to 50,000 for a typical first archive license and Mercor states USD 95,000 to 870,000 for studios (both checked November 9, 2026). Valuation is covered in what company data is worth to AI companies.
Can I sell my YouTube videos to AI companies?
Only footage the seller owns outright can be licensed, and YouTube's third-party training setting is permission without payment. YouTube states it is not facilitating payments to rights holders (checked November 9, 2026). Settings are covered under opting out of AI training.
Do I keep ownership of video I license?
Under the programs checked, yes: Claru, Sieve and Troveo state that the owner keeps ownership, and Protege takes a non-exclusive license. The license scope decides the rest (checked November 9, 2026).
Do AI buyers want exclusive rights to footage?
It is mixed. Newsflare requires AI exclusivity, while Claru, Defined.ai and Protege state non-exclusive terms, and Troveo states that 95 % of its licensors signed exclusively (checked November 9, 2026). The trade-offs are set out in exclusive vs non-exclusive data licenses.
Advisers and agents can use the introducer form.