RE: Pay per view: PH Blog
Discussion
It's a shame that a huge chunk of that £2.50/month will actually be going to Google, rather than Drive. Yes, they provide the platform for delivery, but given recent history I can't imagine they are giving anyone a fair deal.
Some of the financial analysis posted in this topic doesn't seem to account for this - which is where things will fall over.
For me:
Videos delivered on the /Drive Website.
£1/month for premium content.
Sold.
Some of the financial analysis posted in this topic doesn't seem to account for this - which is where things will fall over.
For me:
Videos delivered on the /Drive Website.
£1/month for premium content.
Sold.
3304hl said:
strudel said:
The thing that gets me is youtube take 45%. Is there any other business where it's that high?
There are lots of businesses with this sort of margin.As it's an area I am familiar with, art galleries routinely take 50-60% of sales to cover expenses & profit.
Chris Harris said:
Mr Will said:
You are right. I'd happily pay a few pennies. That's what I think a one off video is worth. I certainly don't think it's worth a couple of pounds (unless it's particularly special/exclusive) and I certainly don't want to be tied in to some sort of repeating payment.
Ask yourself this: if a new song you love comes out and you buy it for 79p, how many times will you listen to it and how much enjoyment will it give you? Do you really think one of your videos is worth over three times that? I have a Netflix subscription at £5 per month. How many hours of content and enjoyment does that give me? And you are trying to tell me your videos are worth half that?
Sorry, it's not the model that's wrong. It's the pricing.
I don't have any of the answers old bean. I'm just trying something new. The YT SVOD hardware works on subscriptions, that's what we have to use. Clearly you don't think the videos are worth squat, I have to believe they are or I wouldn't bother getting up in the morning.Ask yourself this: if a new song you love comes out and you buy it for 79p, how many times will you listen to it and how much enjoyment will it give you? Do you really think one of your videos is worth over three times that? I have a Netflix subscription at £5 per month. How many hours of content and enjoyment does that give me? And you are trying to tell me your videos are worth half that?
Sorry, it's not the model that's wrong. It's the pricing.
You might be proved right, but at least we're having a go.
For the avoidance of doubt by the way, this poster is one of your potential customers.
You might not agree with a lot of posters that the new business model is flawed, poor value or ill thought out but at least take their comments in board. Or try to.
The only thing I'm hesitant about is I don't watch a lot of the American stuff. In fact if it wasn't for CH I wouldn't really pay more than a passing glance at Drive. Even the visits to factories have been hit and miss for me.
So what I'm saying is I'd like more CH and European/Global content (properly thought out global content and not something that's rushed with jet lagged commentary and no actual plan of action!). While muscle cars are fun, they're not very interesting culturally (If I hear another tale about moonshine and bootlegging I'll lose my nut). Ditto Nascar and thundering up a drag strip; It's a yawn fest after a few minutes.
I guess more money will mean bigger budgets, which in turn should mean fewer videos shot on their doorstep.
I'll wait and see.
So what I'm saying is I'd like more CH and European/Global content (properly thought out global content and not something that's rushed with jet lagged commentary and no actual plan of action!). While muscle cars are fun, they're not very interesting culturally (If I hear another tale about moonshine and bootlegging I'll lose my nut). Ditto Nascar and thundering up a drag strip; It's a yawn fest after a few minutes.
I guess more money will mean bigger budgets, which in turn should mean fewer videos shot on their doorstep.
I'll wait and see.
Hellbound said:
The only thing I'm hesitant about is I don't watch a lot of the American stuff. In fact if it wasn't for CH I wouldn't really pay more than a passing glance at Drive. Even the visits to factories have been hit and miss for me.
So what I'm saying is I'd like more CH and European/Global content (properly thought out global content and not something that's rushed with jet lagged commentary and no actual plan of action!). While muscle cars are fun, they're not very interesting culturally (If I hear another tale about moonshine and bootlegging I'll lose my nut). Ditto Nascar and thundering up a drag strip; It's a yawn fest after a few minutes.
I guess more money will mean bigger budgets, which in turn should mean fewer videos shot on their doorstep.
I'll wait and see.
+1So what I'm saying is I'd like more CH and European/Global content (properly thought out global content and not something that's rushed with jet lagged commentary and no actual plan of action!). While muscle cars are fun, they're not very interesting culturally (If I hear another tale about moonshine and bootlegging I'll lose my nut). Ditto Nascar and thundering up a drag strip; It's a yawn fest after a few minutes.
I guess more money will mean bigger budgets, which in turn should mean fewer videos shot on their doorstep.
I'll wait and see.
I enjoy the vids and appreciate that the current model is unsustainable and that £25 a year isn't going to break the bank.
However, that doesn't alter the fact that people ARE going to compare it to a Netflix or Spotify subscription and, in that light, it doesn't look like great value.
How would everyone feel if they had to pay £25 a year for every show they wanted to watch? It would get very expensive, very quickly.
However, that doesn't alter the fact that people ARE going to compare it to a Netflix or Spotify subscription and, in that light, it doesn't look like great value.
How would everyone feel if they had to pay £25 a year for every show they wanted to watch? It would get very expensive, very quickly.
redwedge said:
How would everyone feel if they had to pay £25 a year for every show they wanted to watch? It would get very expensive, very quickly.
This is the whole point for me... £25 is absolutely nothing in a vacuum but imagine having to pay a fee to everybody on the internet that produces content you value. Maybe that is the future? I’d rather have huge companies pay for my entertainment through advertising.Hunky Dory said:
Good luck with the venture. I'll be signing up and hoping it doesn't go the same way Drivers Republic did.
I'm not sure about the wisdom of declaring costs to make videos - it just opens the door for people who aren't investing their own real time and money into similar ventures to speculate on how easy (or not) it is to make millions (or nothing) through charging for content.
I just ask one thing: Please don't get drawn into the "Flashy, big budget video" game. Whilst the example of the expensive F40/50 video is being quoted, I personally enjoyed the P1 tech talk (geek fest) and Singer Porsche videos far more and would love to see more of the same. Bonus of course being they're cheaper than thrashing supercars round a track!
More expensive doesn't always mean better!
Looking forward to the videos
2nd post on this thread.I'm not sure about the wisdom of declaring costs to make videos - it just opens the door for people who aren't investing their own real time and money into similar ventures to speculate on how easy (or not) it is to make millions (or nothing) through charging for content.
I just ask one thing: Please don't get drawn into the "Flashy, big budget video" game. Whilst the example of the expensive F40/50 video is being quoted, I personally enjoyed the P1 tech talk (geek fest) and Singer Porsche videos far more and would love to see more of the same. Bonus of course being they're cheaper than thrashing supercars round a track!
More expensive doesn't always mean better!
Looking forward to the videos
I agree with HD - the P1 tech talk and the Singer vid were both really interesting. In theory, we could all *do* the drifting thing - secure the funds and then pay for everything, it's just something you buy. What the aforementioned vid's provide is *access* which is not so easy to come by although I'm realistic (and cynical) enough to realise that money plays a part here too. But only a part.
I do think the endless drift shots can get a bit repetitive but they're still fun. Where I think the content could be boosted is by keeping that stuff in but supplementing it with behind the scenes pieces. An example of what I mean is the Pagini Huayra vid - the segment about the "lightly damaged" hire car was a joy. The test driver stopping by at the restaurant was similarly entertaining. It's that access thing again, for me it feels like you're along for the ride, not just spectating as a car is spanked. It gives a connection.
So, again, I say good luck to Drive+ and I hope it all works out.
No idea if JF or CH are still reading this, and I don't think it's been mentioned so far, but what about Patreon for funding?
Engage with your audience and you'll find that many are perfectly happy to pay more than £2.49/mo, but by offering pay-per-release type of funding, capped to prevent anxiety about unknown costs, you could keep DRIVE open to many more people with a entry tier of $1/69p. You can also reward higher pledges with exclusive content, online discussions, ability to submit questions for filmed Q&A, early content access etc., driving people to pay more by delivering additional value.
Here's a dude who sings acapella, has 889 patrons and pulls in $4.5k per video ($5 per user per video)
This woman makes, erm slightly odd videos, has 518 patrons and generates $2.9k/mo ($5.58 per patron per month)
This webcomic has 3,302 patrons and pulls in $8.6k/mo ($2.60 per patron per month)
Small beans, maybe, but if you get anywhere near JF's stated conversion aim of 2% and extrapolate these figures out to 26,000 patrons then they might start to look interesting. Dare I also say that DRIVE's content is perhaps inherently more valuable than a woman rustling silver foil and stroking scouring pad with a comb?
You have the content, the brand and the visibility to really push something like this. Besides, the engagement effect of people feeling like they are directly funding something they love, as opposed to just funding a service provided via YouTube, shouldn't be underestimated.
Patreon fees are, I think, 5% (with another ~4% for credit card charges), so I'm willing to bet it's a lower cut that YouTube take for their subscription service?
Any comment?
Engage with your audience and you'll find that many are perfectly happy to pay more than £2.49/mo, but by offering pay-per-release type of funding, capped to prevent anxiety about unknown costs, you could keep DRIVE open to many more people with a entry tier of $1/69p. You can also reward higher pledges with exclusive content, online discussions, ability to submit questions for filmed Q&A, early content access etc., driving people to pay more by delivering additional value.
Here's a dude who sings acapella, has 889 patrons and pulls in $4.5k per video ($5 per user per video)
This woman makes, erm slightly odd videos, has 518 patrons and generates $2.9k/mo ($5.58 per patron per month)
This webcomic has 3,302 patrons and pulls in $8.6k/mo ($2.60 per patron per month)
Small beans, maybe, but if you get anywhere near JF's stated conversion aim of 2% and extrapolate these figures out to 26,000 patrons then they might start to look interesting. Dare I also say that DRIVE's content is perhaps inherently more valuable than a woman rustling silver foil and stroking scouring pad with a comb?
You have the content, the brand and the visibility to really push something like this. Besides, the engagement effect of people feeling like they are directly funding something they love, as opposed to just funding a service provided via YouTube, shouldn't be underestimated.
Patreon fees are, I think, 5% (with another ~4% for credit card charges), so I'm willing to bet it's a lower cut that YouTube take for their subscription service?
Any comment?
Edited by loudlashadjuster on Thursday 31st July 09:40
For me, most of the problem is with the YouTube SVOD platform, rather than paying for the content.
As has been said before, it needs to be as easy as buying something from iTunes, I'd much rather pay per video I want to watch, than for a subscription where I'll only watch a fraction if the content.
As has been said before, it needs to be as easy as buying something from iTunes, I'd much rather pay per video I want to watch, than for a subscription where I'll only watch a fraction if the content.
Just how much have NBC Sports Network paid 'Drive' for their content, surely a large mainstream commercial TV/Cable/Satellite company paid 'Drive' more than enough to cover costs of the expensive parts, which I can only assume are the high quality CH smoking tyres around tracks parts and not the twonk of two presenters in front of a laptop talking in dollars about cars that may or may not be available in the UK/EU.
This is also probably one major reason most of the content is US-centric, much to all the UK/EU viewers discontent.
I for one will not be subscribing just to watch CH, as for me the rest of the content of DRIVE is below par Americanised drivel, that I have no need to waste time watching.
As for not recouping enough costs through advertising on the normal Drive channel, simply don't allow people to skip the advertisement (I'm pretty certain that gets done on other YT videos) at the beginning of the video, I'm sure we'd all just scratch our nuts for 30 seconds or make a cup of tea/drink a beer/scratch our nuts some more. That way all the views generate your income.
Anyways all the best to Drive+
This is also probably one major reason most of the content is US-centric, much to all the UK/EU viewers discontent.
I for one will not be subscribing just to watch CH, as for me the rest of the content of DRIVE is below par Americanised drivel, that I have no need to waste time watching.
As for not recouping enough costs through advertising on the normal Drive channel, simply don't allow people to skip the advertisement (I'm pretty certain that gets done on other YT videos) at the beginning of the video, I'm sure we'd all just scratch our nuts for 30 seconds or make a cup of tea/drink a beer/scratch our nuts some more. That way all the views generate your income.
Anyways all the best to Drive+
Output Flange said:
So is taking it completely away from YouTube not a possibility? Stick it on your own site, with each video behind a [99p] Paypal paywall?
That wouldn't work I don't think, Youtube has a certain footfall to it that means that theres just no point moving away.Building a site able to handle 3 million views of a video is not cheap...
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