Enlarge By David Goldman for USA TODAY Blip.tv co-founders Dina Kaplan, back left, Jared Klett, Justin Day and Charles Hope, with Mike Hudack in front.  TALKING TECH

Just ask Dina Kaplan, a co-founder of Blip.tv, the video website that distributes some 38,000 homegrown shows across the Web, and splits ad revenue 50/50 with the folks who make them.

"We target anyone who wants to make quality content and doesn't want to pitch the show to a network TV exec," says Kaplan, Blip's chief operating officer. "There's a lot of great content a network exec might say no to that could be an excellent and profitable Web show."

Blip is an online video network that on paper competes with the likes of YouTube, Hulu and Veoh for viewers, but it's a different animal.

It's actually a video-distribution service. People upload their video shows to Blip, which syndicates them to video sites such as AOL, Yahoo, MSN and elsewhere on the Web. About 1 million "episodes" have been uploaded to Blip.

Blip attracted 13.2 million viewers in January, according to measurement service Quantcast. But few stopped by at Blip.tv to watch the 32.6 million video streams, says Mike Hudack, Blip's CEO. Ninety-five percent of viewership was on other websites and blogs — which is how Blip likes it.

Blip was formed in 2005, with the basic idea that on the Web, anybody can be a video star. Its shows are devoted to everything from gaming and comics fandom to tips on woodworking and making won-ton soup. What you won't see on Blip are amateur videos like those seen on YouTube and other video sites.

The private company, which has 19 employees, hasn't made a profit. Blip's shows also can be seen on Internet-connected Sony Bravia TV sets and on Verizon's cable-TV-like Fios system. It just cut a deal to bring Blip shows to TV sets via TiVo, beginning later this spring.

"This is the convergence everyone has been talking about," Kaplan says. "It's so much more comfortable to watch on the living room couch than an office chair, so why not have the option?"

But can just anybody be an Internet star and make money via Blip?

Kaplan says Blip has paid out checks ranging from "tens of dollars to tens of thousands," depending on viewership. The checks are the content creator's portion of ad revenue.

David Bates, who runs the Davidjr.com website, puts his 400 celebrity interviews and short comedy videos anywhere on the Web he can get a piece of the action, including YouTube, Crackle and Revver. "The most money has come in from Blip by far," he says.

Bates says he's seen nearly $40,000 from Blip over the past two years. Big advertisers Puma athletic shoes and Starburst candy have sponsored his shows, Bates says.

Internet stars, small audiences

Michael Michaud, whose Chicago-based Channel Awesome production company produces 17 online shows, including the Nostalgia Critic movie review program, began posting shows on Blip in October. His first check was for $25,500. "I'm thrilled," he says. "Before, we were paying $3,000 monthly just to have the shows hosted on our website, and now our hosting is free (from Blip), and we're getting paid as well."

Nostalgia Critic averages 100,000 to 200,000 viewers weekly, Michaud says, while Political Lunch, a three-times-weekly, five-minute chat show about politics, averaged about 500,000 viewers during election season.

Those kinds of numbers would warrant an immediate cancellation slip from network TV. Online, these niche shows find targeted viewers, which makes advertisers happy, says Jeffrey Glass, managing director at Bain Capital Ventures, which has invested more than $5 million in Blip.

Blip likes having a site that emphasizes more polished video over the vast sea of YouTube-like clips. "It's much easier for advertisers, because they know what they're getting," Glass says.

Michael Wayne, CEO of Deca Studios, a Los Angeles producer of Web video shows, has his own advertising sales team, so he uses Blip primarily for technology.

He uses the Blip player for popular shows such as Project Lore (about gaming) and Momversation, which are branded with their own show names rather than a Blip.tv logo. "Blip enables us to put our stuff up very easily and gives us access to data that lets us track how many people viewed our shows and share that with advertisers," Wayne says.

At Blip, you don't have to run a Web studio as Wayne does to be in show business. The platform is open to anyone — just create it and upload it. It will be seen on Blip.tv, your own site or blog, or other video sites.

There are rules, however, to what constitutes a show. No wedding videos, funny animal tricks or baby's first steps wanted. It has to be a regular show or Blip will remove it.

But don't ask Blip what the standards are, because they're not defined.

"It's like the definition of 'is,' " Kaplan says. "We know it when we see it."

A show set at a car dealership might make the cut if it truly offered behind-the-scenes video and "didn't look like an ad," she says. "If it feels like you're being sold to, then I don't want it."

Blip has automated tools to remove non-episodic or infomercial-type fare. The company's content team also monitors uploads daily.