Earlier quoted context omitted.
operating the service isn't free and there's going to be some fixed cost component of introducing a new partner arrangement as long as the number isn't too high I don't really see a problem with it
Given the scale and metrics involved, seems pretty nominal. Maybe not free, but for the context might as well be. Something that could be highly automated if it were transparent and fair.
it's not going to be exposed because why show your cards, you're not a CDN. And there's a reason people use YouTube not CDNs and it's not just the complexity and discovery, it's still not super cheap.