>but just using alternative, smaller platforms makes a huge difference

this does not scale. bandwidth costs will crush small platforms and they will eventually be absorbed into bigger ones.. the only exit is closure (especially from a rouge patent troll or DMCA lawsuit) or buyout. see justin.tv as an example

edit: all costs will crush you. you need a mod team to prevent runaway piracy and child porn. you need a security team to prevent attacks. you need a network team to try to minimize bandwidth loss. video delivery is not a cheap game, so i'm not really sure how free platforms will survive