Information about Pay Per View

Pay-per-view (often abbreviated PPV) is the system in which television viewers can purchase events to be seen on TV and pay for the private telecast of that event to their homes. The event is shown at the same time to everyone ordering it, as opposed to video on demand systems, which allow viewers to see the event at any time. Events can be purchased using an on-screen guide, an automated telephone system, or through a live customer service representative. Events include feature films, sporting events, and pornographic movies.

Early History (Americas)

The first pay-per-view system tested in the United states was the Zenith Phonevision system. Developed in 1949, it used telephone lines to take and receive orders as well as descramble a broadcast signal. Field tests were run for 90 days in Chicago. In 1950, Skiatron tested it's Subscriber-Vision system on WOR in New York City. The system used IBM punch cards to descramble the signal which was broadcast during the broadcasts stations "off-time". Both systems showed promise, but were denied permits by the FCC ^[1]

One of the earliest pay-per-view systems on cable the Optical Systems Channel 100, which first saw service in 1972 in San Diego through Mission Cable^[2] (acquired by Cox Communications) and TheaterVisioN, which ran out of Sarasota, Florida. These early systems quickly went out of business, as the cable industry adopted satellite technology and flat rate systems like Home Box Office became popular.

Early Adoption

Pay per view began becoming popular when the NBA's Portland Trail Blazers began using the system after winning the championship in the 1977 season. During that time, it was operated on a few pay-TV services such as Z Channel, SelecTV, and ON-TV in select markets throughout the 1980s.

The first major Pay-Per View event occurred on September 16, 1981, when Sugar Ray Leonard fought Thomas "Hitman" Hearns for the Welterweight Championship. Viacom Cablevision in Nashville, Tennessee, was the first system to offer the event and sold over fifty percent of its subscribers for the fight. Leonard visited Nashville to promote the fight. The event was such a huge success that Viacom's Annual Report that year was themed around the fight. Viacom's Marketing Director was Pat Thompson who put together the fight and subsequently put together additional PPV fights, wrestling matches, and even a Broadway play.

After leaving Viacom, Thompson became head of Sports View and produced the first Pay-Per-View Football game on October 16, 1983, Tennessee versus Alabama from Birmingham, Alabama. Sports View was instrumental in building Pay-Per-View Networks and was the early pioneer in developing TigerVision for LSU, TideVision for Alabama, and UT Vol Seat for Tennessee. Sports View also produced the Ohio State-Michigan Football game on PPV in November of 1983.

In 1985, the first U.S. cable channels devoted to Pay-Per-View Viewers Choice (now iN Demand), Cable Video Store, and Request TV began operation within days of each other. Viewers Choice was available to both home satellite dish and cable customers, while Request was available to cable viewers but would not be available to dish owners until the 1990s.

However, the term "pay-per-view" wasn't widely used until the 1990s, when companies like iN DEMAND, HBO, and Showtime started using the system to show movies and some of their productions. In Demand would show movies, concerts, and other events, with prices ranging from $3.99 to $49.99, while HBO and Showtime, with their legs TVKO and SET Pay Per View, would offer championship boxing, with prices ranging from $14.99 to $54.99.

ESPN has shown college football and basketball games on pay-per-view. The boxing undercard Latin Fury, shown on June 28 2003, became ESPN's first boxing pay-per-view card and also the first pay-per-view boxing card held in Puerto Rico. Pay-per-view is also a very important revenue stream for professional wrestling companies like WWE and TNA. To this day, World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) holds the rank for most PPV's sold per year. ''Citation needed

History (Europe)

Pay per view was first adopted in the UK with the use of selective access satellite television and cable systems.

History (Australia, NZ & Pacific Islands)

Pay per view was introduced by Foxtel direct to home television in Australia and NZ in the early 2000s and by Sky Pacific in Fiji and other Pacific Island Nations in 2006.

Availability

In the U.S., two direct-to-home (DTH) digital broadcast satellite (DBS) providers DirecTV and Dish Network allow customers to order with the remote control. The unit later calls out using an 800 number and connects via modem, adding the cost of the movie or sporting event to the account. A similar system is used by Foxtel and Optus in Australia. Digital cable subscribers also have this capability, using the bidirectional capabilities of digital cable technology instead of a telephone line. Similar systems are in use by Sky Digital in the United Kingdom.

In Canada, Viewers Choice offers pay-per-preview services through various Canadian satellite TV and digital cable television providers, including Rogers Digital Cable, StarChoice, and MTS. Prices range from $5.99 CAD for movies, up to $20 CAD or more for special events. (Ex. WWE and ECW Pay-Per-Views, which usually cost $39.95 for normal 3-hour PPV's, and $49.95 for the 4-hour WrestleMania special.) Bell ExpressVu delivers its own pay-per-view service, Vu!, to its satellite subscribers. Prices range from $4.99 CAD up to $20 or more for special events. It also runs Venus, an adult pay-per-view service, to its satellite subscribers for $9.99 per movie.

Pay-per-view has also been introduced in Europe and many other areas of the world. In the UK, Sky's PremPlus and Sky Box Office services have proved popular with viewers.

See also

• Conditional access

References

External links

• Capsule history at Museum of Broadcast Communications