Starting today, Stickam is allowing beta testers to charge for events broadcast via the live video streaming service. Dubbed PayPerLive, the service allows the host to schedule events and sell tickets, which can be purchased by viewers through PayPal. Stickam takes a share of the revenue generated from ticket sales – starting at 25 percent.
The move points towards Stickam looking towards a different audience than we’re currently seeing with most online video streaming. For example, educational courses, business seminars, and live entertainment like music and comedy are some of the types of live content the company envisions being monetized with PayPerLive.
Of course, there is also the risk that Stickam becomes a haven for do-it-yourself adult-oriented peep shows - a proven successful model for monetizing live video. That's likely part of the reason that for now, the service is invite-only, though I've asked the company for details on how they plan to address the adult content issue and will update accordingly when I hear back. Update (11:38am PT): In regards to adult content, Stickam says "There will absolutely not be any adult content allowed on PayPerLive. Stickam.com is actually the only live streaming service which has a dedicated security enforcement team operating 24/7. They plan on dedicating additional resources to PayPerLive to monitor and ensure participants do not violate its terms of service."
So will anyone pay for non-adult live streaming video online? I’m skeptical, but the huge offline market for instructional videos (think golf, exercise, cooking, etc.) point to a big opportunity if Stickam can find a way to reach the right audience. There is tons of free competition though (see our 10 essential sites for tips and how-to's), so it will likely come down to attracting alluring personalities that can get people to fork over a few bucks to watch live video. To that end, Stickam recently signed Leo Laporte to a lucrative (by podcasting standards) deal.
If you're interested in testing the PayPerLive service, an application form is available at PayPerLive.com. An introduction to the service from the Stickam team is embedded below: