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Castr/Platform/Pay-per-view streaming

Pay-per-view streaming

Sell pay-per-view access to live events, and keep non-payers out.

Combine pay-per-view tickets, professional live delivery, branded playback, recording, replay, and audience insights around one event workflow, with DRM available as an add-on for premium rights.

A viewer opens a ticketed event page where the branded player is locked until a ticket is purchased. They buy a twelve dollar ticket through the built-in paywall with a credit card checkout, access unlocks, and the player switches to live playback. Ticket sales accumulate in real time, and after the event the recording stays behind the same paywall as a paid video on demand replay. Thirty plus payment gateways are available through the separate Castr OTT service.
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Business outcomes

The workflow should create value, not more operational risk.

01Sell tickets under your brand

Keep the purchase and viewing journey connected to your brand.

02Protect event revenue

Lock the stream behind a paywall so only paying viewers get in.

03Keep earning after live

Sell or include replay access through hosted VOD.

Capabilities that matter

Everything a pay-per-view streaming platform needs to run a paid event.

Sell the ticket, deliver the live stream, and keep the replay earning, from one dashboard. The event paywall is included on every plan with a 9% commission on sales, and the OTT solution adds subscriptions and 30+ payment gateways.

Event paywall

Sell access to live events and on-demand replays.

Branded player

Present the paid experience on your own site, under your brand.

Payments

Take credit card payments in the built-in paywall, or connect 30+ gateways through the OTT solution.

One ticket, one viewer

Each purchase unlocks playback for that buyer. Add password, domain lock, or geographic rules for extra control.

Recording and replay

The event becomes a VOD asset when you stop streaming, ready to bundle with the ticket or sell separately.

DRM, watermarking, and login control

Add multi-DRM, viewer watermarking, and simultaneous-login protection to keep paid streams from leaking.

Need the complete matrix? See capability availability and plan tiers in one place.

Compare plans and capabilities →

How pay-per-view streaming works

Sell live stream tickets in three steps: price it, gate it, deliver it.

Pay-per-view (TVOD) charges viewers once for one event or video. With Castr you set the price, the event paywall gates the stream, and buyers watch on your own website, so the ticket revenue and the audience relationship stay with you.

Set up the ticket

  • Event paywall

    Gate a live stream or hosted video behind a paywall and set your ticket price.

    Included on every plan, with a 9% paywall commission on sales.

  • Credit card checkout

    Buyers pay by credit card inside the built-in paywall, with no separate checkout to build.

  • Live, replay, or both

    Sell the live event on its own, bundle the replay with the ticket, or sell the replay separately.

Deliver the paid stream

  • Branded player on your site

    Buyers watch on your own website, in a player without third-party branding.

  • Multi-CDN delivery

    Playback scales over Akamai, Fastly, and CloudFront with adaptive bitrate renditions.

  • Access control

    Only paying viewers get playback, and you can add password, domain, and geographic restrictions on top.

  • DRM protection

    Add multi-DRM (Widevine, FairPlay, PlayReady) so premium events cannot be ripped and re-streamed.

    Available as an add-on.

After the event

  • Automatic recording

    The broadcast records automatically and becomes on-demand video through live-to-VOD.

  • Replay revenue

    Keep the recording behind the same paywall so the event keeps selling after the live window.

  • Sales insights

    Track ticket sales and revenue for every event.

The built-in event paywall takes credit card payments, while 30+ pre-integrated payment gateways are part of the OTT solution on the Events plan. Commissions and capability availability vary by plan.

Compare monetization capabilities by plan

Your website, your model

How to create a pay-per-view website, and when to use PPV, subscriptions, or ads.

You don't need to build a video platform to sell pay-per-view online. Embed the paywalled player on a page of your existing website, then move to a full branded storefront when the catalog grows.

Put PPV on your own website

  • Embed the paywalled player

    Paste the embed code on any page. Visitors see the checkout, and buyers see the stream.

  • Sell from your own domain

    The purchase and viewing journey stays on your site, so the customer relationship is yours.

  • Live and VOD

    The same paywall covers live events, replays, and hosted video libraries.

  • Scale to a storefront

    Launch a branded web service with a full content catalog through the OTT solution.

    Branded web app on the Events plan.

Pick the monetization model

  • Pay-per-view (TVOD)

    One-off payment for one event or video. Fits fights, matches, concerts, and premieres.

  • Subscriptions (SVOD)

    Recurring access to a library through the OTT service.

    SVOD and TVOD storefronts on the Events plan.

  • Advertising (AVOD)

    In-stream ads earn from free viewers using your own VAST tag.

    In-stream advertising from the Standard plan.

  • Combine models

    Sell the live event as PPV, then move the replay into a subscription catalog.

Monetization models, commissions, and payment options vary by product and plan, so confirm terms with Castr before launch.

Compare PPV, subscriptions, and advertising

Seen enough to test it? Start a 7-day trial with no credit card, or talk through your exact setup first.

Operator fit

Designed for recurring, accountable video work.

Operational complexity matters more than company size. The strongest fit is a team with a named owner, a repeatable schedule, and a real consequence if delivery fails.

Review your workflow with Castr

Strong qualification signals

  • Ticketed sports and entertainment
  • Professional conferences
  • Paid training and education
  • Owned media rights

Switching to Castr

Move off your current platform without dropping a broadcast.

You do not have to cut over blind. Run Castr in parallel with your current provider while you test, and let our video team confirm the fit before anything switches.

01

Run in parallel

Point a test encoder at Castr while your current platform keeps serving viewers. Nothing changes for your audience until you are ready.

02

Map the workflow

Our video team reviews your ingest, player embeds, video library, security, and monetization setup, then confirms plan fit for your concurrency and destinations.

03

Cut over with support

Switch your embeds and destinations when you are confident, with 24/7 human support on hand during your first live events on Castr.

Plan your migration with a video expert

Questions before you choose

Evaluate the workflow with confidence.

Feature and plan availability changes by tier. Use the full matrix for comparison, or let our team validate a complex setup.

How does pay-per-view streaming work?

You set a ticket price, Castr locks the live stream behind an event paywall, and viewers pay by credit card to watch on your branded player. The event records automatically, so you can include the replay with the ticket or sell it separately.

How do I sell tickets to a live stream?

Create the live stream in Castr, turn on the event paywall, set the price, and embed the player on your website. Everyone who pays gets playback, and everyone else sees the checkout.

How do I create a pay-per-view website?

You don't need to build a video platform. Embed the paywalled Castr player on any page of your existing website and sell from your own domain. When you want a full storefront with a catalog and subscriptions, launch it through the white-label OTT solution.

What is the difference between pay-per-view, subscriptions, and advertising?

Pay-per-view (TVOD) charges once per event or video. Subscriptions (SVOD) charge recurring access to a library through the OTT service on the Events plan. Advertising (AVOD) earns from in-stream ads instead of viewer payments. Many teams sell the live event as PPV and move the replay into a subscription catalog.

Does Castr offer free pay-per-view?

No. Pay-per-view requires a paid plan and a connected payment gateway. Castr charges a 9% paywall commission on sales, and your card processor's own fee is separate.

Which payment methods can buyers use?

The built-in event paywall takes credit card payments. The OTT solution on the Events plan connects 30+ pre-integrated payment gateways for regional payment methods and currencies.

When do we get paid for ticket sales?

Instantly. Buyers pay into your own Stripe account through Stripe Connect, so the money lands with you the moment a ticket sells. Castr never holds your revenue.

Who handles refunds and chargebacks?

You do, from your own Stripe dashboard. Because payments go directly to your Stripe account, you control refunds, and chargebacks are resolved between you and Stripe rather than through Castr.

Can buyers watch a replay?

Yes. The event is recorded as VOD, and you can include the replay in the ticket or sell it separately.

Can Castr help us validate our current workflow?

Yes. Castr’s video team will walk through your current setup, from sources and destinations to audience scale, security, and monetization, and confirm the fit before you migrate.

Move from evaluation to a working broadcast

Map Castr to the workflow your team runs today.

Discuss protocols, concurrency, destinations, bandwidth, storage, security, monetization, migration, and support with a video expert.