Karsa Flash Payer offers bait and switch model for video monetization
Instead of forcing the viewer to commit to paying up front for content that they may not yet consider worth their cash, Karsa allows for it to be viewable for free for a set amount of time, after which the video pauses and the user is prompted for payment. Once paid-for, playback of the video can be resumed.
All transactions are handled through PayPal, with any revenue generated going straight into the content owner’s account. Karsa charges a subscription fee for the service – from £9 per-month – which increases dependent on the total value of transactions.
Carroll says that he tried the traditional pay per-view model with Documentary-film.net but that this performed poorly compared to Karsa’s system, which saw sales increase by about 90%. “The reason simply being that people will only usually pay for something once they are hooked on it”, he says.
Karsa’s offering differs from other pay per-view systems, such as PlaySpan, in its payment model but also in that there are no barriers to entry for publishers or users (who aren’t required to sign up in advance), according to Carroll.