Understand who can watch what
Learn how your platform decides every play, what a blocked viewer is shown, and how the site-wide access switches change that.
On this page
Read this before you set prices, and whenever a viewer says “I paid but it won’t play.” One set of rules decides every play on your website, mobile apps and TV apps, so a viewer’s access is the same everywhere they sign in.
Browse freely, gate at play
Listings, schedules, event pages and title pages are always open, which is good for sharing and for search engines. The check only happens when someone presses play or opens a paywalled article. When the answer is no, the viewer is told why and given the one action that fixes it.
The access options on your content
| Access | Who gets in |
|---|---|
| Free | Anyone, unless the sign-in wall is on |
| Subscription | Any active plan, or only the plans you name |
| Pay-per-event ticket | Viewers who bought this event, until their access window closes |
| Subscription or ticket | Qualifying subscribers, plus ticket buyers |
What a blocked viewer sees
| Why they’re blocked | What they’re offered |
|---|---|
| Not signed in, and the item isn’t free (or the sign-in wall is on) | Sign in or create an account |
| No qualifying plan | Subscribe, with the right plan highlighted on the pricing page |
| Ticket-only event they haven’t bought | Buy a ticket |
| Hybrid event, no plan and no ticket | Either subscribe or buy a ticket |
| Entitled, but signed in on more devices than their plan allows | Sign one of their devices out |
The site-wide access switches
Two switches in Studio → System → Settings → Content → Viewer Access sit above everything else. Both start off, and only administrators can change them.
- 1Open Viewer Access
Go to Studio → System → Settings, choose the Content group, then the Viewer Access tab.
- 2Decide on the sign-in wall
Switch on Require sign-in to watch to make visitors need an account before they watch or read anything, including free items. Listings and pages still browse normally.
- 3Decide on free-tier perks
Under Without a subscription, switch on Clip feature or Post reels to give those to every signed-in viewer with no plan. Each only appears when its add-on is installed.
- 4Save
Click SAVE CHANGES. The change applies across your site and apps straight away.
| Require sign-in to watch covers | It doesn’t cover |
|---|---|
| Events, on-demand videos and series episodes | Browsing listings, schedules and pages |
| Articles and live channels | Your store |
| Radio stations | Staff accounts |