Louis CK beats the media giants – Direct downloads turn a healthy profit

Nicks top tip for 2012 – pay-per-view and subscription monetisation comes of age.
Having done thusands of live streams over the last decade, very very few have been implemented with revenue generation in mind – they’ve all been about marketing, and brand, engagement and interactivity. Building an audience. But once you have an audience and a healthy library of back catalogue, monetisation can become an option.

Consumers have traditionally expected content on the internet is free, but the tide is turning – The Australian has gone behind a Paywall in November and more will follow suit

JB HiFi just released their subscription based music streaming service.

At present, the cost of implementing Pay-Per-View will be higher than the revenue for one off gigs – it only works at present for repeat events, but this case study from Louis CK brought up some interesting figures. And full marks to Louis CK for being so candidly open about his budget.

Article in The Chortle
Louis CK made a profit from the stand-up special he released as a $5 download in just 12 hours.
He bypassed the traditional DVD distributors to offer the hour-long show direct to fans. And now, just four days after its release, free of copy protection, he has already earned $200,000 (around £128,000) from it.