Getting started with pay-per-view events
Pay-per-view on YouTube
A pay-per-view (PPV) event is a one-time deal. Rather than paying for a bundle of services or events, you are instead only buying a pass to a single event. This guide provides more information on features offered on most pay-per-view events on YouTube.
This guide deals with pay-per-view events. If you have questions about the event, please don’t hesitate to contact us.
DVR (pause, play, rewind)
What is it?
Watching so intently that you forgot the hot dogs have been boiling for 20 minutes? Then this feature is for you! YouTube’s DVR feature allows you to pause, rewind, and play from any point in the event. Once you resume playing, the event will start from where you hit pause, so you won’t miss a thing.
How does it work?
- Pause: Click the pause btn when you need to take a break.
- Play: Once you’re ready to begin watching again, click the play btn and the event will begin streaming again from where you left off.
- Seeking: Miss something? Seek back and forth in the event by dragging the scrubber backwards and forwards. You’ll see the timestamp change as you move the scrubber around, so you’ll know where you are.
- Live: Ready to get back to the real-time coverage of the event? Just click the Live btn, and we’ll take you there.
Important things to note:
- DVR playback will only be available for a limited amount of time after the live event ends. For UFC, the event will remain available for 24 hours.
- Comments are always live, even if you’ve paused or rewound. If you’re using DVR features, keep your eyes off the comments to avoid spoilers!
Adaptive bitrate (ABR)
What is this?
Adaptive bitrate (ABR) ensures you are streaming the live event at the highest quality possible. Instead of having to adjust the video resolution yourself, we will automatically tweak it for you depending on your connection speed, to ensure the optimal viewing experience. So just sit back, relax, and let us take care of the details.
Useful information
Here are some tips on using ABR:
- Click the ‘gear’ icon in the the bottom-right corner of the player to adjust the maximum resolution (e.g. 280p, 360p, 480p, 720p). The resolution and bitrate will dynamically adjust below and up to the level that you select, but will not exceed it.
- It’s possible that the event could become pixelated or choppy for a brief period of time, which is normal. If this happens, try lowering the maximum resolution: for example, from 720p to 360p.
- If the quality of the event stays poor for an extended period of time, please let us know here.
Watching pay-per-view live events on devices
- Paid content on Android mobile devices
- Paid content on iOS mobile devices
- Paid content on smart TVs
- Paid content on game consoles
- Paid content on Chromecast
- Paid content on Android TV
- Paid content on Apple TV
- Paid content on Roku
Purchase process
To purchase YouTube paid content, you’ll need a YouTube account with Google Wallet activated. If necessary, create a YouTube account, and set up Google Wallet.
Sign into your YouTube account and follow these steps to make a purchase:
- Visit the video you’d like to purchase and click the btn displaying the purchase price.
- For some videos, the rental and HD options will be listed. (Note that HD might only be available for certain devices.) For movie rentals, your movie will be available for the duration of the rental period after you start watching it for the first time. Purchases will be available to watch as many times as you like and don’t expire.
- If you have a coupon to redeem, click Enter promotional code to show the promotional code field. Enter your code and click the arrow, then click the appropriate purchase btn to continue.
- Select the payment method you wish to use from Google Wallet, or add a new payment method, then click Buyto finish the transaction.
- Once your payment has gone through, you’ll receive a purchase confirmation.
- You can find all the videos you’ve purchased by visiting youtube.com/purchases while signed into your account.
Sign into your YouTube account and follow these steps to make a purchase:
- Visit the video you’d like to purchase and touch the btn displaying the purchase price.
- For some videos, the rental and HD options will be listed. (Note that HD might only be available for certain devices.) For movie rentals, your movie will be available for the duration of the rental period after you start watching it for the first time. Purchases will be available to watch as many times as you like and don’t expire.
- If you have a coupon to redeem, touch Enter promotional code to show the promotional code dialog. Enter your code and touch Done, then touch the appropriate purchase btn to continue.
- Select the payment method you wish to use from Google Wallet, or add a new payment method, then touch Buyto finish the transaction.
- Once your payment has gone through, you’ll receive a purchase confirmation.
- You can find all the videos you’ve purchased by touching the Purchases tab in the menu.
Sit back and enjoy!