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AI developers reportedly buy creators' unpublished video through Troveo and Calliope

Bloomberg reported that AI companies, including OpenAI and Google, pay creators $1 to $4 per minute for unpublished footage through intermediaries. Troveo said it had paid creators over $5 million.

NEW YORK, January 10, 2025 AI companies including OpenAI and Google are paying content creators $1 to $4 per minute for unpublished video footage to train models, Bloomberg reported on January 10, 2025, with specialized firms Troveo AI and Calliope Networks handling licensing.1

Terms of the deal

Regular unused content reportedly sells for $1 to $2 per minute, with premium rates for 4K, drone and 3D animation footage. Deals often total thousands of dollars. Troveo said it had paid creators over $5 million. Contracts reportedly bar AI companies from creating digital copies of creators, recreating specific scenes from their channels or using footage in ways that could harm their reputations.1 The buyers are named in the report as potential licensees; individual contracts were not published.

The public record on this agreement is limited to the announcement and the press coverage cited below. The price is listed here as: $1 to $4 per minute (reported). The status shown, Reported, reflects the most recent reporting available on October 22, 2026, and any later amendments are not captured.

Background

The article named OpenAI, Google and other AI companies as buyers and mentioned Meta and Microsoft among more than 17 potential licensees.1

What it means for data sellers

Creators and small studios can sell footage that has never been published, which carries less competition from public scraping. Brokers handle contracts and payment, so sellers should review revenue splits and use restrictions.

A seller comparing this deal with its own situation should ask what the buyer actually receives: raw data, a license to train, a license to display, or a right to build a product. Each is priced differently, and the answer should be written into the agreement rather than inferred from a press release.

How the deal came together

  1. Training demand. Video models need large amounts of footage that is not already online.
  2. Intermediaries. Troveo AI and Calliope Networks manage licensing logistics.
  3. Report. Bloomberg reported prices and practices on January 10, 2025.
  4. Safeguards. Contracts bar digital copies of creators and recreation of their scenes.

Takeaways for companies with data

  • Intermediaries can bundle small creators into sellable packages.
  • Unit prices vary widely by quality and uniqueness.
  • Contracts can restrict how a creator's likeness and content are reused.

Sources

Every numbered reference above points to an entry here. Figures come from these pages as of the date shown at the top of the article. Where a source reports a number it got from unnamed people, the text says so.

  1. OpenAI and Google are buying YouTubers' unpublished videos for up to $4 per minute (The Decoder, January 2025)

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About the AI Data Deal Tracker

SellYourAIData tracks publicly reported sales and licenses of data to AI companies, with the price, terms and sources for each. Entries are checked against public reporting and updated as deals change. SellYourAIData was not involved in this deal. To ask what your company's data could sell for, get a free valuation. To report a deal, contact us.