YouTube, Instagram, Facebook and Twitter own most of the user-generated content. But what did their users get in return? In addition to likes and promotions, a little. Now several video-sharing companies are looking for a more equitable model. Powered by blockchain technology, these startups are hoping to lure in users from the dominant platforms by putting a few dollars into their pockets.

Rize is a social video app that allows people to chat with content creators and watch online videos together. But the social interaction is ramped up by the use of the PROPS token, a blockchain-powered innovation that allows users to reward each other for participating. Flixxo, which, like Rize, is creating a decentralized video platform with blockchain tokens to reward producers. Flixxo, however, uses BitTorrent to distribute its content. The team says it’ll use servers to back up the BitTorrent network so users won’t burn through their mobile data while watching videos on the go. The platform is focusing more on user generated content. Viewly — A service which doesn’t require tokens to start and instead offers free video publishing and watching of the entire content library. Accounts that show a higher than average activity have to purchase tokens for access. Viewly is hosted by providers that compete with each other in a decentralized marketplace. Fans can support their favorite content creators via one-time donations and recurring transactions.

Breaking the Facebook and Google duopoly

Together, Facebook and Google have 70 percent of all internet traffic. Power and wealth aren’t evenly distributed on the internet, and the inevitable pushback to this duopoly has recently been getting traction. This leaves lots of space for new entrants that want to break into the market by offering a superior alternative. The question is if people will shift to new streaming platforms and cryptocurrency-based services on the promise of being paid.

The tech industry is no stranger to disruption, and companies that seem invincible have fallen before — just think about the dominance of Myspace before Facebook came along. Now that the dust has settled over the battle for the best social networks, the one over video is about to begin.