Reading your post, reminds me of the days when I was heavily into PPC, promoting some self-authored eBooks and affiliate products. The ROI during the period between 2007 to 2010 was pretty decent. Later, the market got competitive and being a low-budget advertiser, had problems even getting my investment back.
Stories of YouTube bans and them stealing ad revenue even from legitimate videos, is what kept me away from using that platform for professional use. I'm sorry that happened with you.
It would be interesting to see how a decentralized video platform would work. I'm very keen on using video as part of my marketing efforts. Will sign up on Viewly for more information. Thank you!