Pay-per-view, often abbreviated as PPV, is a type of broadcasting[1] service where viewers pay to watch a specific program or event. This broadcasting model originated from the concept of closed-circuit television[2], with the first instance being the boxing match between Joe Louis and Jersey Joe Walcott in 1948. Over time, as technology[3] evolved, pay-per-view began to reach homes through cable TV with the first home pay-per-view system being Zenith Phonevision. The popularity of pay-per-view grew during the 1960s-1970s, especially with boxing matches like Floyd Patterson vs. Ingemar Johansson and notable Muhammad Ali fights. By the 1980s, the first pay-per-view cable channels were launched in the U.S. Today, pay-per-view is a significant revenue stream for sports and entertainment industries worldwide, including professional wrestling circuits and mixed martial arts organizations like UFC. It is also offered by various television providers globally.
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Pay-per-view (PPV) is a type of pay television or webcast service that enables a viewer to pay to watch individual events via private telecast.
Events can be purchased through a multichannel television platform using their electronic program guide, an automated telephone system, or through a live customer service representative. There has been an increasing number of pay-per-views distributed via streaming video online, either alongside or in lieu of carriage through television providers. In 2012, the popular video sharing platform YouTube began to allow partners to host live PPV events on the platform.
Events distributed through PPV typically include boxing, mixed martial arts, professional wrestling, and concerts. In the past, PPV was often used to distribute telecasts of feature films, as well as adult content such as pornographic films, but the growth of digital cable and streaming media caused these uses to be subsumed by video on demand systems (which allow viewers to purchase and view pre-recorded content at any time) instead, leaving PPV to focus primarily on live event programs and combat sports.