Pay-per-view

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Pay-per-view (PPV) provides a service by which a television audience can purchase events to view via private telecast. The broadcaster shows the event at the same time to everyone ordering it (as opposed to video-on-demand systems, which allow viewers to see recorded broadcasts at any time). Events can be purchased using an on-screen guide, an automated telephone system, or through a live customer service representative. Events often include feature films, sporting events and entertainment.

United States

The Zenith Phonevision system became the first pay-per-view system tested in the United States. Developed in 1951, it used telephone lines to take and receive orders as well as to de-scramble a broadcast signal. Phonevision field-tests ran for 90 days in Chicago. The system used IBM punched cards to de-scramble a signal broadcast during the broadcast station's "off-time". Both systems showed promise, but the FCC denied them permits.^[1] One of the earliest pay-per-view systems on cable, the Optical Systems Channel 100, first entered service in 1972 in San Diego through Mission Cable^[2] (acquired by Cox Communications) and TheaterVisioN, which operated out of Sarasota, Florida. These early systems quickly went out of business, as the cable industry adopted satellite technology and as flat-rate systems like Home Box Office became popular.
Boxing fans were first introduced to their sport on pay-per-view with the Muhammad Ali vs. Joe Frazier fight "Thrilla In Manila", there was also another in 1980, when Roberto Duran defeated Sugar Ray Leonard. Cable companies offered the match for $10, and about 155,000 customers paid to watch the fight.^[3]
A major pay-per-view event^{[citation needed]} occurred on September 16, 1981, when Sugar Ray Leonard fought Thomas "Hitman" Hearns for the Welterweight Championship. Viacom Cablevision in Nashville, Tennessee, the first system to offer the event, sold over fifty percent of its subscribers for the fight.^{[citation needed]} Leonard visited Nashville to promote the fight, and the event proved such a success that Viacom themed its annual report for that year around it.^{[citation needed]} 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.^{[citation needed]}
After leaving Viacom, Thompson became head of Sports View and produced the first pay-per-view football game on October 16, 1983, when Tennessee played Alabama from Birmingham, Alabama.^{[citation needed]} Sports View played a role in building pay-per-view networks^{[citation needed]} and became 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 1983.
In 1985, the first U.S. cable channels devoted to pay-per-view, Viewer's Choice, Cable Video Store, First Choice, and Request TV began operation within days of each other.^{[citation needed]} Viewer's Choice serviced both home satellite-dish and cable customers, while Request TV, though broadcasting to cable viewers, would not become available to dish-owners until the 1990s.^{[citation needed]}
First Choice PPV was available on Rogers Cablesystems in the United States and Canada. When Paragon Cablesystems acquired the Rogers Cablesystems in San Antonio, Texas First Choice continued until 1996 when Time Warner Cable bought Paragon Cablesystems in San Antonio, Texas.
The term "pay-per-view" did not come into general use until the late 1980s^{[citation needed]} 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 live sporting events such as WrestleMania predominant. 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.^{[citation needed]}
ESPN has shown college football and basketball games on pay-per-view.^{[citation needed]} 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.^{[citation needed]} Pay-per-view has provided a revenue stream for professional wrestling companies like World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), Ring of Honor (ROH) and Asistencia Asesoría y Administración.
In the United States pay-per-view broadcasters transmit without advertisements, unlike almost all other broadcasters.
Vince McMahon, the chairman of World Wrestling Entertainment, is considered by many as one of the icons of pay-per-view promotion. He owns the rights to payperview.com, which redirects to the WWE website.