pay-per-view

American  

[pay-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

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Etymology

Origin of pay-per-view

First recorded in 1975–80

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

pay-per-view pay-per-views

It brought in operating income of $652 million, a 5% slide that the company attributed to higher sports rights costs and the absence of UFC pay-per-view revenue compared with last year.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 6, 2026

Their previous meeting in 2015 generated a record 4.6 million pay-per-view buys and a record live gate of $72m at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.

From BBC ● Feb. 23, 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

That fight generated 4.6 million pay-per-view buys and a live gate of $72 million, both of which are records.

From Los Angeles Times ● 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

Mike told me about having been a fan for decades—signing up for the cheaper pay-per-views, grabbing tapes to catch individual fights, following Dana White’s ascent from well-connected, Vegas-schooled businessman to international sporting titan.

From Slate ● Oct. 31, 2024

Alvarez continues to be the biggest star in boxing, fronting 10 pay-per-views since serving a six-month suspension in 2018, earning millions of pounds in the process.

From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2022

Spence, who is 28-0, might not enjoy the mainstream fame of some of his welterweight predecessors, like Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Pacquiao, but he sells pay-per-views and tickets — 39,946 spectators attended Saturday’s card.

From New York Times ● Apr. 17, 2022

"I think it would be one of the biggest pay-per-views ever, and I know I can win," he said.

From Reuters ● Dec. 14, 2021

He writes and structures AEW programming — which includes four weekly shows and four pay-per-views each year — and those boyhood dreams of booking for a company have come true.

From Seattle Times ● Sep. 21, 2021

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