Vimeo, a video-sharing hub popular among independent filmmakers, is embarking on an expansion while shunning the lifeblood of many websites: advertising revenue.

Vimeo bills itself as a higher-minded version of Google’s YouTube. The site allows people to post, share and view high-definition video. It has become a favored venue for makers of low-budget films to debut their work, as they hope to gain a following from Vimeo’s 22 million registered members and global monthly audience of 149 million.