Sell Your Pay Per View!

Want to increase your pay per view sales? Hire a host!

Sometimes it’s the simplest things that make the difference between failure and success. That was a lesson learned by vendor On Command Corp., the company that provides those pay-per-view movies that you can watch in hotel rooms around the world.

Not satisfied with their already substantial sales, some genius in the marketing department (okay, it may have been a group decision, but the “genius” thing is more dramatic!) came up with a plan: they would add an attractive “host” to appear when viewers clicked on the movie channel.

Inventing the Pay Per View Model

At the point that this momentous decision took place (sometime in 2002), VOD (Video On Demand, another term for Pay Per View) was a new channel for cable companies. They obviously grasped the potential, but had to solve various technical and marketing challenges before providing widespread availability for VOD.

On Command Corp., however, had been providing these programs for to hotels for nearly two decades. Of course, they had come up with a process for encouraging hotel guests to purchase movies, and it had been working pretty well. When a guest clicked on the “Movies” button on their remote, they were treated to a non-stop series of film previews.

Seems logical, right? And it did work — guests were purchasing movies. However, On Command Corp. (which is a division of Liberty Media Corp.), did some research that showed that many viewers were changing the channel as soon as they began watching the previews.

Enter the Host

That’s when On Command Corp. decided to make a major format change. They hired a pretty, personable host: blond-haired “personality” Tricia Singer. Singer pitches movies from “inside the studio,” or on the “red carpet.” Her delivery mimics the style of entertainment reporters from shows like Access Hollywood, Inside Edition, or Extra: an upbeat promotional patter that hawks movies.

The result? Instead of changing the channel immediately, many hotel guests were now spending 5 to 6 minutes watching Singer. Ultimately, those same guests purchased more movies, which delivered a profit increase of 11%. Pretty substantial!

When you’re ready to sell your content contact a reputable hosting company for setting up your Pay Per View Solution.

Can It Work for Your Pay Per View Programs?

Not everyone has the resources to be able to hire and film such a high profile personality. However, several things can be learned from On Command’s success.

First, that you have to try new things when promoting your Pay Per View program. Hiring a host was the idea that worked for On Command, but there may be other things that will be effective for you.

Second, let your customers tell you what they want. Can you contact your customers (or potential customers) directly? Do an online survey? Send out an e-mail questionnaire? The better you understand what is important to them, the better you’ll be able to serve those needs, with the end result of greater sales for you.

Third, measure your results, both before and after you implement changes. That way you’ll not only know what works, but how well it worked. On Command improved their business model after 20 years, and the pay per view business online is just getting started. Be creative, and you could get in on the ground floor of this incredible growth industry!