Ustream Simplifies Live Pay-Per-View for Companies of Any Size
Live video specialist Ustream announced Open PPV today, a tool for creating pay-per-view online video events. With Open PPV, companies can quickly set up and stream events, whether they're professional high-definition multi-camera productions or impromptu streams sent from a mobile device in the field.
Open PPV events aren't pre-screened, so they can go out quickly. Ustream doesn't charge an up-front fee for the Basic plan, opening pay-per-view up to small companies. The tool lets organizers schedule their live event, set whatever price they want, and promote the event ahead of time.
Ustream has already beta tested Open PPV, noting that 4,500 live events have used it so far. Customers testing the beta version included the UFC, Insane Clown Posse, and the Bridge School Benefit.
Ustream offers four OpenPPV plans. The Basic plan is ad supported, and allows for 10GB of video storage. The Starter plan is $99 per month and includes 100 hours of ad-free viewing. The Standard plan if $499 per month, offering 4,000 hours of ad-free viewing. Finally, the Enterprise plan is $999 per month, offering 9,000 hours of ad-free viewing. All the paid plans include unlimited video storage. Visit the OpenPPV plans page for more specs on each plan.
Proceeds from an OpenPPV event go directly into the organizer's PayPal account, notes Ustream, During beta testing, the top single events generated around $70,000 each, while season-long packages drew up to $300,000.
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