Pay-per-view facts for kids
Pay-per-view (often called PPV) is a way to watch special events on your television at home. You pay a fee for each event you want to see. Everyone who buys the event watches it at the same time. This is different from "video on demand," where you can watch something whenever you want. PPV is often used for movies and exciting sports matches.
The First Big PPV Event
The very first big pay-per-view event happened on September 16, 1981. It was a boxing match between Sugar Ray Leonard and Thomas "Hitman" Hearns. They were fighting for the Welterweight Championship.
Viacom Cablevision in Nashville, Tennessee, was the first company to offer this fight. More than half of their customers paid to watch the match.
How PPV Grew
After this success, pay-per-view started to grow. On October 16, 1983, the first football game was shown on PPV.
In 1985, the first U.S. cable channels made just for pay-per-view began. These included Viewers Choice, Cable Video Store, and Request TV. Viewers Choice was available to both cable and home satellite dish users. Request TV was only for cable viewers at first.
PPV Becomes Well-Known
The term "pay-per-view" became much more common in the 1990s. Companies like iN DEMAND, HBO, and Showtime started using it a lot.
In Demand would show movies, concerts, and other events. Prices usually ranged from $3.99 to $49.99. HBO and Showtime often offered championship boxing matches. These fights could cost between $14.99 and $54.99.
PPV in Professional Wrestling
Pay-per-view is also very important for professional wrestling companies. Groups like World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), Ring of Honor (ROH), and Asistencia Asesoría y Administración use PPV to earn a lot of money. Fans pay to watch their biggest events and championship matches.
