Vimeo to launch pay-per-view service

In an attempt to retain its biggest users and attract more premium content, video sharing site Vimeo is planning to introduce an on-demand, pay-per-view element to its existing service.

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In an attempt to retain its biggest users and attract more premium content, video sharing site Vimeo is planning to introduce an on-demand, pay-per-view element to its existing service.

The site, the second-largest video sharing platform behind YouTube, currently makes its money from subscriptions, advertising and voluntary donations.

Announced at SXSW, the new service will be called Vimeo On Demand and although it won't offer live streaming, it will offer viewers the chance to rent or buy premium content with prices expected to range from 99 cents to roughly $6.

In a blog post that appeared on the company's site to coincide with the annoucement, Blake Whitman explained that the service is targeted at its Vimeo Pro users as a means of helping them monetize their creative endeavors: 'If you're a Vimeo PRO member, you can distribute your work the way you want, with all the power of Vimeo's HD player, easy-to-use tools, and wildly passionate audience,' he writes. The service also ensures a 90%/10% revenue split between the creator and Vimeo.