How Much Can I Earn by Producing a Live Show?

There can be many reasons you might start to produce a live show. You may want to enjoy the freedom to create something new, or already have things to say or to teach. Or - you may want to make money. Nothing wrong with show producers making money, not for us at BeamZ! Here are our solutions for helping you maximize your revenue as we answer: How much can I earn by streaming a live show on Beamz?

What platform will pay me more?

As far as we can tell, there are three families of live-streaming platforms as far as your revenue as an online show producer is concerned.

1. Ad-based platforms work like network TV, they run ads during, before and after your show. They hope that your shows generate enough traffic to show ads to your audience. It’s a tried and tested method. Ads are what makes Google and Facebook possible and free.

When it comes to live-streaming on such platforms, you need an awfully large audience before these platforms qualify you for their revenue programs. In most cases you need upwards of 1,000 subscribers. And even then, you won’t make all that much money, because of the way the platforms split the income, see below.

2. Then you have the platforms that charge the viewer up-front. They can sell subscriptions to your channel, or they can sell tickets to your shows. I think of them as the Cable TV of live-streaming. These platforms tend to bring you the streamer more money per user than the ad-based, network TV style, platforms.

3. Then come platforms like BeamZ. No ads, and no tickets either. Instead, viewers watch first, then they pay the amount of their choice. We call it the Free-Pay Model.

In our experience, Free-Pay is a great model. First, « free » is a great marketing word that attracts a lot of people, because they can see first before they pay. And next, the public is very earnest, they pay what it’s worth. When the show is good, they gladly recognize the value of a professional show, and the efforts that are put into it.

How does money get split between the streamer and the platform?

On ad-based platforms, there is no revenue unless the audience is large enough to generate ad revenue. When the show does qualify for ad-revenue sharing, platforms are likely to keep 30 to 60% of the revenue.

On box-office platforms, 30% to 40% is also the standard share that stays with the platform. On a free-pay platform, 30% to 40% gets taken away from the streamer.

BeamZ stands out in that respect. We are told this is a key asset of ours, a key reason why streamers choose BeamZ. We take just 10% of the net revenue – i.e. the revenue after the credit card, bandwidth and ad costs have been taken out.

Are outside sponsors allowed?

Once you reach past a certain audience size, sponsors will invite you to wear their clothes, use their gear, or stay in their facilities. It is a traditional way how live-streamers make money or reach fame.

Most platforms allow you to showcase products and sponsors. Obviously, you will want to do that in a way that does not antagonize your audience.

On Beamz last week one streamer was approached to use a tuk-tuk during their show. So the tuk-tuk became the centerpiece of a series on BeamZ. The revenue and the perk all stayed with the producer, 100%.

And that’s how it works for the most part, by the way: unless you have access to the relevant professional circles, the brand comes to you, not the other way around.

Are there ways for me to make more money?

There are ways, most probably. To begin with, you can host the same show on several platforms.

But if you are new to live-streaming and live online entertainment, our advice might be to take things in order. First, focus on the concept of your show. Prepare well. Then stream consistently, and keep true to your style. Revenue will start smaller and grow with time as your audience grows.

So how much will I make?

Super-star streamer Ninja admits to making $500,000/month. It will require the rest of us a bit of time before we get there. But beamers see real entertainment value in our shows, and they are willing to pay for it.

Here is some recent data: As of June 2021, our top two show producers are making over $5,000 a month each. Both stream under 6 hours a week. They run a series and some stand-alone shows. One has been streaming on BeamZ for 5 months, the other for 4. This data is bound to change. But these are our results to date, 5 months after BeamZ started streaming live shows.

And how much will you make on BeamZ? That’ll vary greatly depending on your show. Your topic, your schedule, and really your swag. Reach out to us with your plan, and we’ll try and figure that out together.

Like this article? Share it with your network - you never know who might need it. You can also apply to live-stream with BeamZ here.