With simple name, PPV.com tries to keep momentum going with Canelo-Charlo

Seventeen years ago, iNDEMAND — the North American video-on-demand service — registered the name “PPV.com.” Not sure yet how it would be used, iNDEMAND kept the name tucked away, knowing that such a gloriously simple handle would one day be a perfect fit for a future pay-per-view endeavor.

Finally, after years of registering and re-registering the name — and rejecting offers for the rights to it — iNDEMAND launched its pay-per-view streaming service in December 2021. There was no question about what it would be called.

“There were actually a number of URL’s that we registered that lost relevance, but this was one that was very relevant,” said Mark Boccardi, Senior Vice President of Programming and Marketing for iNDEMAND. “From personal experience, I can think of many occasions where I’m wondering which app to go to. Is it Showtime pay-per-view, DAZN pay-per-view, ESPN pay-per-view? This is so simple that you don’t even have that hurdle to cross. You go to PPV.com and you’ll get it. That’s the whole idea: it’s so simple.”

iNDEMAND, a partnership between three United States cable companies (Charter Communications, Comcast Cable and Cox Communications), has long been a distributor of pay-per-view on cable. But, with the kickoff of PPV.com, it is now offering a subscription-free streaming option for live events, whether it be live boxing, MMA, wrestling or concerts. It covers most big fistic events, with the exception of ESPN and UFC events.

It will offer the Saul “Canelo” Alvarez-Jermell Charlo super middleweight championship live from T-Mobile Arena Saturday in Las Vegas. Reviews have praised PPV.com for its easy access and clean, quality stream. As a result, the new service is ahead of budget projections and trending upward 21 months into its existence.

“We’re seeing dramatic increases in usage and fan engagement. Those are two really important metrics,” said Boccardi, who has been with iNDEMAND for 20 years. “A third is a huge number of repeat buyers. We said when we launched this that if we don’t see repeat buyers we will have a problem. It becomes cost prohibitive. So, we are seeing a high number of repeat buyers, which means people like it and they are coming back to use it.”

More: Canelo Alvarez vs. Jermell Charlo: What to know, how to watch, prediction

Once a staple of network television, boxing on pay-per-view has been available for decades but was utilized sparingly until the 1980s. Since then, it has become the dominant form of boxing viewership, as it allows services and promoters to charge for one-time events without a subscription.

Now that it’s digital, iNDEMAND is banking on viewer interaction being the next fistic (and pay-per-view) frontier. For the PPV.com venture, it partnered with Kiswe, a video-technology company with a track record of offering events on pay-per-view and specializing in unique interactive components that allowed viewers to chat with other fans, post comments, upload video selfies and buy merchandise.

That element will again be showcased during the Canelo-Charlo fight when Hall of Fame boxing announcer Jim Lampley — known for his 30 years at HBO — and award-winning boxing writer Lance Pugmire participate in a live chat with fans during the stream. They are also providing analysis for the PPV.com website and social media platforms this week.

“Instead of calling the fight, as I’ve done in the past, I’ll be entering into a computer observations or answers to questions from viewers of the fight,” Lampley said. “For a long time while I was doing blow-by-blow, I thought to myself I might graduate into the role that Larry Merchant played for a long time, and that Max Kellerman played. You’re not blow-by-blow — you’re an editorialist. That didn’t happen. So this is something like it. It’ll be interesting to see if I have anything to say. I certainly have something to say when I’m sitting in my living room.”

Abraham Gonzalez, boxing writer for ProBoxTV and FanSided MMA, was initially skeptical of PPV.com. He was more so after some initial buffering issues and other limitations over the first few fights it hosted. But he said the distributor was open to suggestions from both media and fans and the issues were rectified almost immediately.

Gonzalez eventually hosted one of the chats.

“It was equivalent to watching a fight at a friend’s house or a bar,” he said. “You could engage with fans from across the U.S. who were also die-hards and answer questions as the fights occurred.”

Regardless of whatever components PPV.com offers, Boccardi says, iNDEMAND knows that its success is tied directly to the success of the boxing events that are offered. With at least five events already penciled in for next year — including a possible Terence Crawford-Errol Spence rematch, a Gervonta Davis fight, the return of Deontay Wilder and the two traditional May/September Canelo fight dates — Boccardi hopes what has been a 2023 boxing resurgence becomes standard in 2024.

“We can have all the money in the world but if we don’t have things to promote we will not get anywhere,” he said. “We have benefitted from the resurgent year in boxing and we hope that that will continue next year. We’re fully with our eyes wide open with respect to our success and how it is tied to the boxing events that the promoters put together.”

Gonzalez said he thinks PPV.com is here to stay.

“Does it elevate the sport? I think it does,” he said. “We want to keep making the boxing experience more interactive so that the younger generation can keep the sport alive.”

Matthew Aguilar may be reached at maguilarnew@yahoo.com @MatthewAguilar5 on Twitter

This article originally appeared on Corpus Christi Caller Times: PPV.com tries to keep momentum going with Canelo-Charlo | Aguilar