Australian video streaming platform PADLOKT is now giving fans unique paid access to celebrities and athletes online in a controlled environment.
Through a live, two-way chat, fans can participate in an interactive discussion with professional athletes, which include Los Angeles Lakers forward Julius Randle, Green Bay Packer wide receive Randall Cobb and Olympian Sanya Richards-Ross, all of whom have their own channel on PADLOKT.
For $2 a month per channel, subscribers gain access to recorded content, live events, video Q&As and text notifications. According to PADLOKT, the subscription model, which will stay consistent for all users, allows the startup to “offer a premium, unique and safe experience for genuine fans.”
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“We created PADLOKT to give fans a simple way to build a real connection with their idols and vice versa,” said Trent Sydney, Managing Director and co-founder of PADLOKT in a statement. “We wanted to find a way for fans to ask the questions they’ve always wanted to ask, and for talent to answer those questions as they want them answered, face-to-face live over video and not through third parties.
“It’s about stripping back barriers from both sides of the relationship, whether geographical or economical, and creating a safe place that facilitates the fan-celebrity relationship. PADLOKT gets the fan closer to their idol and celebrity closer to their fans.”
While fans gain exclusive access to athletes, which now includes individuals from the UFC, NBA, NFL, Cricket and Olympic track and field, there is still a filtering process where fans submit a ballot to participate in the chat along with their question. About 30 people are selected for each video session and following every Q&A, the discussion will be accessible on-demand for subscribers.
PADLOKT’s first global partnership is with the UFC and kicked off in December; it’ll include four live video chats with fighters over the month.