pay-per-view

American  

[pey-pur-vyoo, -per-] / ˈpeɪˌpɜrˈvju, -pər- /

noun

pay-per-views plural

1. a system requiring that a subscriber pay for each program viewed.

   championship games seen only on pay-per-view.

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adjective

1. noting or pertaining to such a system. ppv

pay-per-view British  

noun

1. See free-to-air pay television

   1. a system of television broadcasting by which subscribers pay for each programme they wish to receive

   2. ( as modifier )

      a pay-per-view channel

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• pay-per-views
  plural

Etymology

Origin of pay-per-view

First recorded in 1975–80

Example Sentences

After all, the “Fight of the Century” at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas — won by Mayweather — set records with 4.6 million pay-per-view buys and $72 million in ticket sales.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 26, 2026

Mayweather brought this tradition to the big stage when he fought McGregor on pay-per-view at the T-Mobile Arena and people have been following his example ever since.

From BBC • Feb. 24, 2026

Mayweather beat fellow welterweight Pacquiao in their money-spinning 2015 "Fight of the Century," which generated a record 4.6 million pay-per-view buys but largely failed to live up to the hype.

From Barron's • Feb. 23, 2026

A reality show called “The Ultimate Fighter,” a subsequent rights deal on Fox and pay-per-view helped lift the UFC into a new stratosphere.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 23, 2026

It will be a professional contest between one of Britain's most decorated heavyweights and a former Disney Channel actor who has reinvented himself as a pay-per-view attraction.

From BBC • Nov. 21, 2025