Does pay-per-view opera sell?

Looks like a Nein.

The Bavarian State Opera attracted over a million viewers for its free streaming last season. Its most-viewed effort to date, a Don Carlo with Jonas Kaufmann, picked up half a million views all on its own.  

Despite massive advance publicity, the recently-inaugurated Vienna State Opera scheme managed just "several hundred" for its first effort, a Rosenkavalier. And I'd bet at least half of those were just die-hard Renee Fleming fans.  

The likely reason for the difference? Vienna charge 14 euros a pop - more than enough for three separate standing places, a DVD, or a Bier and Bockwurst, take your pick.

Despite this lamentable showing, a spokesman claimed "our expectations were exceeded."  He went on to compare the result with the Berlin Philharmonic's Digital Concert Hall, which he claimed reaches "1500 to 1700" viewers. However other sources suggest the Berliner's figures are more like 7,000- 16,000 (2011-12) or 15,000 (2013).

Vienna has a way to go.

Comments

[William Lau]

If Vienna State Opera really took the Berlin Phil's Digital Concert Hall seriously, I'm afraid they've lost the picture. The worldwide impact of Digital Concert Hall is minimal. Despite having a complete Rattle Mahler cycle and other interesting stuff, the majority of music lovers still judge Rattle and Berlin Phil by their CDs on EMI, now Warner Classics. And these CDs are mostly uninteresting, probably lousy, and in no way reflect what the team is able to do live. Among many things reported here that show Berlin Phil being outdone by Staatskapelle Dresden, exposure by recordings and DVDs sure makes it to the list.

[Susan]

I got burned when I to watch Bayreuth's stream of Lohengrin a couple of years ago. Pixelation city! Vienna seems confident that they're on top of the technology, but I'm skeptical. I have no plans to sign up anytime soon.

[Tinkerbelle]

The Digital Concert Hall is good value for money and I enjoy it immensely. The quality is excellent, especially because I squirt it onto my large TV.

Their archive is, in my opinion, very good and growing. I visit the Concert Hall at least twice a week, often more and watch several things. At £134 for a year, that is pence per concert.

That makes Vienna very expensive at £12, especially if it is a one off thing, without the constant access and archives of the Berlin Phil. I think it costs £4.28 to access one opera for one week from their archive. That's too limiting.

[waltraud]

The best thing is transmission per TV and a DVD later on.
On pay-stream the Berlin Phil. is good. I used it once.
Also Bavarian State Opera - free stream is attractive, althrough the quality is not as good as Berlin Phil.
Very best on stream could be: not too expensive, but thousends of users.

[Vito]

The price in the U.S. was $19.29. I would not pay that to see the streaming of one performance of Rosenkavalier. It makes much more sense to buy a DVD, or to watch a DVD one already owns.

[Kassandra]

Sorry guys, but this is a competitive market and I can find elsewhere for free the same product -or an even better one. This viennese lust for money includes also the Arcadia shop at the opera, where they charge you extra if you want a gift wrapping, and all their prices are very high both for new and old recordings, whereas at the Dussmann in Berlin, you can find last year's Kaufmann's, Netrebko's, Jaroussky's, etc, at 9.90 E, or even less for older recordings. Of course, sometimes on a trip, you indulge, but it is always a consumer's right to choose according to his best interest.

[Frau ohne Schatten]

First I totally agree with what Kassandra said.
As much as I love Wiener Staatsoper, I will be critical this time and I must say that I opened my eyes wide when I've got to learn how much the house want to charge for a single view of an opera. I was really curious how people will response to that. Live stream is not live opera experience in an actual opera house, it’s not the same, you cannot compare it, even on big HD TV screen. You cannot charge as much as for the ticket to an opera house cause with price 13 -14 euros at times you get good sit with a quite good view, if you buy a ticket that cost a bit more (40-50 euros) you get a sit with a perfectly good view and hearing, and if you make an effort and get standing tickets for 4 euros u will not only hear but see everything what happens on the stage at times even better then the people who bought other tickets. This you get when you live in Vienna or can travel to go to opera, but even if you can’t 14 euros is too much for one time event, when opera house like Bayerische Staatsoper offer live streams for free also with star casts, yes the quality is not HD but it’s not a reason to charge so much just for HD and compare it to Berliner Philharmoniker Concert Hall where you have constant access to all the concerts. I’m really not surprised that only (cause for me only) "several hundred" took part in that live stream…

[Pusillanimous Pussyfooter]

I was excited when I heard the initial announcement of the Wiener Staatsoper streaming venture, and was looking forward to watching; but I was repelled when I saw that the first production was a cobweb-encrusted waxworks "directed" by Otto Schenk.

I'm willing to pay for dramatically-relevant productions and for good casting, but not for this kind of soporific pablum.

[loge]

Pay per view or for free will NEVER scale commercially. As soon as the Sponsors pull out, the project is dead. Why ? It is expensive, achieving a very compromised result.
The numbers for Berlin mentioned above are unrealistic, maybe 3000 viewers maximum. Why ? Because it is actually quite boring watching the same shots switched between the same camera positions following the melody of the score in every piece, this does not enhance the musical experience.
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Intermezzo replies - Where does your figure of 3,000 come from? Is it a published statistic, or a guess?