The Tradecast platform includes several features to generate revenue with your video content. One of those features is SVOD (subscription video on demand), which allows you to offer both individual videos and video packages to your viewers for a subscription fee. This article explains how you can manage the SVOD module through the CMS of your video platform.
With the SVOD module you can create models for recurring revenue with your content. The Tradecast platform offers all the options you need to offer and manage subscription-based video content. For example, this module allows you to create your own monthly or annual content subscriptions, create discount coupons and easily manage which of your registered users are subscribed to your content.
Tradecast and Stripe
In order to use the SVOD module, it is first necessary to link your video platform with Stripe, Tradecast's preferred payment service provider. By linking your video platform with Stripe, payments that viewers initiate on your video platform are executed correctly. More information about creating a Stripe account can be found in this article. Stripe charges a fee per transaction initiated on your video platform. More information about Stripe's transaction fees can be found on the Stripe website.
SEPA Direct Debit en automated paymets for SVOD
Before Stripe allows you to use recurring payments through SEPA direct debit, you'll first need to generate a number of successful payments on your video platform for a set period of time, often between 30 and 40 days. If your video platform remains below a Stripe-determined margin for failed payments during this period, SEPA Direct Debit will become available for your Stripe account. If this is the case, you will receive an email from Stripe informing you about this new feature. More information about SEPA Direct Debit and direct debit using Stripe can be found on the Stripe website.
Tradecast and other payment service providers
If instead of Stripe you would like to use another payment service provider in combination with your video platform, for example because Stripe does not support a payment method that is important to you or does not offer support in your country or region, please contact Tradecast Support. A Tradecast Support agent will work with you to determine whether - and if so, how - it is possible to integrate an alternative payment service provider on your video platform.
Managing Products
When your Stripe account is linked to your video platform, creating a SVOD revenue model starts with creating a 'Product'. You can find the button 'Products' under 'Monetization' in the CMS of your video platform.
A Product is a package of one or a bundle of multiple videos and settings that you - after filling in all the necessary information - can offer on your own video platform for a (periodic) amount. To create a Product, navigate to 'Monetization', click on 'Products' and then - at the top right of the screen - click the '+ Add' button. In this screen, you can give your product a name and a short description.
In this screen you also fill in the Terms of Use that apply to this Product. These Terms of Use may be similar to the Terms of Use for your video platform itself, but since the use of a paid video product is different from the use of an online video platform on which (potentially) free content can also be viewed, it is advisable to provide your Products with a unique Terms of Use document.
Once your Product has a title, a description and its own terms of use, you can save your progress. The next step is to add videos to the product. These will be the videos that users - if provided with a current publication date - will be able to view once they have purchased the corresponding Product.
By clicking the 'Add/remove Media' button, you can add videos to the Product that you have previously uploaded from the Media Overview. After checking the video or videos that should belong to this Product, click 'Save' to finalize your settings. You can add or remove videos to the Product at any later time.
Managing Plans
After you've added one or more videos to the Product, it's time to create one or more Plans for the Product. A Plan is a bundle of rules that together form a purchase option that a buyer on your video platform can choose to purchase a Product. An example of a Plan for an SVOD Product could be: this Product costs $9.99 per month, which gives you one year's access to all included videos.
Creating and setting up a Plan is done within the settings of the previously created Product. Under the heading 'Included media' you will find the button 'Create Plan'. Clicking on this button will bring you to the screen where you can add a new Plan. The fields you need to fill in are:
- Title: the title of your Plan;
- Type: TVOD (one-time fee for a specified period of time), SVOD (sell videos in a subscription) en Ticketcodes (grant free access to a Product by means of an access code);
- Currency: decide if you want to offer your Product in Euros (€) or US Dollars ($);
- Price: determine the price of your Product in Euros (€) or US Dollars ($);
- Start and end date: determine how long this Product should be available on your platform. By not entering an end date, you make the Product visible indefinitely.;
- Duration: indicate whether you will have access to the Product for one or more days, weeks, months or years for the specified price;
- Description: Provide your Plan with a description explaining the 'rules of purchase';
- Terms of use: if necessary, provide your Plan with modified terms of use. By default, the same terms of use are shown here as you have filled out for the corresponding Product.
If you have filled in the above settings, you can save your settings at the bottom of the screen by clicking on the 'Save' button.
Managing Orders
As soon as registered users start buying Products created on your video platform, an overview of all orders for this Product will appear in your CMS under the 'Orders' button. This overview contains both successful and failed orders. An order can fail because a user decides to stop purchasing during the purchase process. His or her Order will therefore be stored, but with the status 'Frozen' instead of 'Active'. A successful order creates an active contract between you and a user. Read more about Contracts below.
Managing Contracts
The Contracts button shows an overview of all contracts resulting from a successful Order by your users. Users with an active contract on a particular Product can view the videos belonging to that Product, within the rules set up by you and linked to that Product.
Exporting client data from Stripe
If you want to export the data generated by your clients, for example because you want to analyze this data or use it for (commercial) follow-up actions, you can export this user data from the Stripe dashboard. This dashboard can be accessed by logging into the Stripe website with your unique Stripe username and password.