Pros:
+ It should be more popular than user-generated content of the same type (overall).
+ Very few other companies would be willing to invest as much time and money into competing. How To pages are much much cheaper.
+ High CPMs if they can build a trusted brand with quality viewership.
+ There's less competition for video content than text content, and it's harder to steal (no synonym substitutions, etc).
Cons:
+ Hugely expensive. Low profit margins.
+ Very slow to generate.
+ Far less video views than page views (less ad impressions). Many on YouTube itself.
+ Hard to manage and keep quality at large scale.
+ Very small buyer market for high CPM video ads. Low click through.
Pros:
+ It should be more popular than user-generated content of the same type (overall).
+ Very few other companies would be willing to invest as much time and money into competing. How To pages are much much cheaper.
+ High CPMs if they can build a trusted brand with quality viewership.
+ There's less competition for video content than text content, and it's harder to steal (no synonym substitutions, etc).
Cons:
+ Hugely expensive. Low profit margins.
+ Very slow to generate.
+ Far less video views than page views (less ad impressions). Many on YouTube itself.
+ Hard to manage and keep quality at large scale.
+ Very small buyer market for high CPM video ads. Low click through.