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How to start selling with Vimeo On Demand

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This feature requires a Standard, Advanced, Pro, Business, Premium, or Enterprise plan.

Vimeo On Demand makes it possible to sell your videos online as one single video or an entire series. This article discusses how to make your titles available for sale and rent. 

In this article:

What to know before selling a Vimeo On Demand title

How to create my Vimeo On Demand title

Follow the below steps to create a new VOD page:

  1. Select your profile photo and hover over More then choose On Demand pages. 
  2.  This page will list the titles you create. Select +Create a new VOD page. 
  3. Choose whether you want to sell A single film or video or A series of videos. 
  4. Select Get started. 
  5. Choose all your desired settings.
  6. Once you're finished, select the Update status option at the top of the page. 
    VOD settings page with update status option highlighted
  7. You can set the page to Coming soon to make the page available to viewers or Release videos if you're ready to publish it and make it available for purchase. 
  8. Select Update status.

What customization options are available for my Vimeo On Demand title?

You can customize your VOD page from the appearance to pricing. 

  • Basic info: Set a title, description, release year, genre, tags, content rating, primary language, and whether or not you have hardcoded subtitles. 
  • Distribution: Choose if you want your title available worldwide or in select countries, the option to create a custom URL for your title, and the option to add a custom domain. 
  • Pricing: Set any additional currencies you'd like to accept, subscription pricing for a series, and purchase pricing for your series or single film/video. You can also choose if you'd like to enable downloads and set the rental period. 
  • Videos: Upload your trailer, film or episodes, and any bonus content. You can also choose videos from your existing videos within your library. 
    • ⚠️Note: A single VOD container can contain up to 600 videos.
    • Bonus content is free by default, but you can choose to put it behind the paywall on a video-by-video basis. For example, you could offer some free bonus videos and others that can only be watched after your viewer purchases the title itself.
  • Appearance: Upload a poster, add a page thumbnail, and edit the background image on your VOD page. You can also set the colors you'd like on the page. 
  • Details: Add any credits, links, festivals, awards, and other details. 
  • Promotions: Set up any promo codes and VIP access codes. 
  • Audience: Choose whether or not you want to allow comments and add social media links. You can also download a CSV file of email address from viewers that opted into receiving communications from you. 

How to share my Vimeo On Demand title

  To share your VOD title:

  1. Navigate to your VOD title page.
  2. Click on the paper plane/share icon on the right top corner of your video player.

        VOD video player with engagement buttons and share option highlighted

  1.  Open the share modal and copy the URL to share your video as a link through social media, email or embedding it on other sites.

       Share modal with options to copy link, add an email, social sites, and embed code.

How will I get paid?

  • We'll notify you every time you make a sale, and you'll get 90% of your sales after transaction fees in a PayPal payment once a month.
    • For example, a $10 VOD purchase from a viewer based in New York would get you about $7.80. (Taking out transaction fee of $0.48, applicable tax of $0.85, and revenue sharing of $0.87).
  • You can view your payment breakdown by downloading the CSV file located in your account settings. 

What selling options are available?

Series

Rent/Buy

  • Viewers can rent your videos for a period that you select, anywhere from one day to one year. People who rent your title can stream it during this time frame but don't have the option to download it. 
    • You can set rent prices per episode, and add a Rent All option if you wish. 
    • Viewers will have the option to rent episodes individually or the entire series. 
  • Viewers can buy your series which would allow them access to stream any or all episodes they purchased for as long as your VOD page remains online. Or they can download it for indefinite streaming if you choose to make that option available.
    • You can set buy prices per episode, as well as add a Buy all option. 
    • Viewers will have the option to buy individual episodes or the entire series. 

Subscription

  • You can choose to offer your series as a subscription. Active subscribers will have unlimited streaming access to all current and future episodes of your series for a recurring monthly fee.  
  • You can change your monthly subscription price on the Pricing tab of your VOD Settings. If you set a new price for an existing subscription, you'll need to wait 30 days before you can change the price again.
    • If you lower the price of your subscription, active subscribers will be charged the new price upon their next renewal. If you raise the price of your subscription, active subscribers will continue to be charged at their original subscription price.

Single film/video

Rent/Buy 

  • Viewers can rent your title for a period that you select, anywhere from one day to one year. People who rent your title can stream it during this time frame but don't have the option to download it. 
  • You can set your title up for Buy which would allow viewers to access it for as long as the VOD page is active. You can also allow viewers to download it to allow for them to have indefinite access regardless of the VOD page status. 
    • If you add a Buy All option to your Vimeo On Demand page, it gives viewers access to the title and bonus features as well if you chose to add any.

⚠️Note: In some regions, there are limits to how customers can access VODs. These customers can access any VODs they’ve previously purchased, but for new VOD purchases, they will only be able to purchase via direct link to the VOD.

 

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