7 Tips For Streaming Pay Per View Events

Pay-per-view events are increasingly getting popular amongst event managers and streamers. However, there are a few things to note before planning and streaming pay-per-view events. Read on to know more!

What Are PPV Events?

Just as their name suggests, PPV Events, or Pay Per View Events, are a type of television or webcast service. They allow viewers to purchase a specific event (media like television shows, movies, special programs) instead of subscribing to the whole channel on which the event airs. 

Unlike video-on-demand services, PPV events are shown simultaneously to all the purchasers. You can buy them using an on-screen guide, an automatic telephone system, or through a live customer service representative. 

Moreover, the viewers can watch PPV without cable too, on streaming devices and services. This makes PPV events more accessible to the audience.

PPV events often include feature films, sports events, and other entertainment programs. However, they are most commonly used to distribute combat sports events. Popular organizations like WWE and Disney+ (for new movie releases) also use this system to generate guaranteed income. 

Tips For Streaming Pay Per View Events

If you’re planning to create and stream PPV events, keep in mind these tips.

1. Set the Price Right

Making visual media and content is never an easy job, and, understandably, a lot of costs can go into the production, which you might want to retrieve from the sales of the show. However, note that PPV events are still a new phenomenon that is also exclusive to a particular brand of interests like sports. 

If the PPV event you are hosting is your first and not affiliated with a vast institution, it might not attract as much attention – especially not with a high watching fee. 

It is a good idea to set the price just below the expensive mark as the priority for your first event should always be to attract as many people as you can. Hence, it is essential to make it pocket-friendly. 

2. Time it Correctly

Planning early is crucial, but remembering to time it well is essential according to the audience you want to attract. Posting during local times of countries may help your event bring in an international audience. You can do this with the help of scheduling tools that are readily available on the internet. 

Choosing the correct day for the event is also vital as you would not want your timings to clash with another big event or franchise. Having an event over the weekend is also preferable compared to other days. 

3. Promotion is Key

Be sure to make people aware of your event by posting regularly on social media. Starting promotion early is a good idea as it gives you more time to gather an audience. A few things you can do for promotion are:

• Starting a countdown on popular platforms will help spread the word and frequently remind people about the upcoming event. 
• Hashtags are like the SEO of social media. Using them would garner more interested people!

4. Make Pre-order Available

Being early and planning well ahead of time is a significant part of PPV event planning. Similarly, making pre-bookings available ensures good promotion beforehand as well. An excellent way to popularise the event through pre-orders is by offering discounts, bundle perks, or extra merch upon taking the early reservation. 

The pre-order option brings in double duty – starting sales early and helping the news spread.

5. Track Your Channels

If you have multiple channels running PPV events, an excellent way to keep what works and what does not is to generate unique tracking codes. 

You can do it easily by bit.ly. So, do it for each channel. This way is great to know which channel is getting the most clicks and traction and go on board with that channel or channels in advance. 

6. Variety Brings Profit 

Streaming the event is not the only way you can make a profit out of your PPV event. The promotion, waiting, and posting that pushes you to the event’s success also reaps other benefits. If the event’s production goes well, it can also be converted and kept on on-demand status after the end of the stream!

A membership arrangement with a popular streaming service after a certain waiting period will also allow you to benefit from your limited stream.

7. Prepare the Technicalities

The creative aspects of holding a PPV event are an essential part of the job, but so is making sure that your system is up to date and functioning. 

Having a good infrastructure is essential as your event blowing up means a high chance of your server crashing. Not just your equipment, but your streaming platform should also be a reliable one. 

Remember to prepare for other problems like payment gateway crashes, customer complaints, and technical glitches.

Final Thoughts

Pay Per View streaming is still a relatively new concept to media. Note that having a paying service for a limited event in no way guarantees profit – but rather puts it at risk. 

However, in our current situation of a pandemic, it provides us with the same experience one would go through in concerts, movies, and theatres and acts as their online equivalents!