How Stellar’s New Broadway Licensing Partnership Can Make Your Streams More Engaging, Accessible & Profitable

Earlier this month, Stellar announced our exciting new partnership with Broadway Licensing, making Stellar the new home for both Broadway on Demand and ShowShare, and expanding access and opportunity for event creators and audiences around the globe.

During an informative chat that was — surprise, surprise! — livestreamed, Broadway Licensing’s Lauren Kardos and Stellar’s Susan Cody shared a glimpse into the possibilities and opportunities this new partnership is bringing to the online and hybrid event space.

While we recommend checking out the entire conversation, which includes a handy demo of Stellar’s streamlined process for hosting and marketing online events (see the video link below), we’ve pulled together a few key takeaways from questions the two fielded during the discussion.

Why should I stream my live event?

As Stellar’s Director of Growth & Retention Susan Cody explained in the webinar, livestreaming offers new opportunities to grow revenue. In-person events are limited to the number of seats in your venue. By streaming, you can expand your maximum audience exponentially — and reach audiences outside your theater!

Additionally, she noted that not everyone is able to attend performances in person, whether it’s due to proximity or health-related reasons. By introducing streaming into your programming portfolio, you're opening up that opportunity and making live events more accessible to more people.

What are some benefits to selling on the Stellar platform? And how can Stellar’s new partnership with Broadway Licensing help my livestreams?

Stellar’s self-serve platform provides event producers the ability to manage their own shows with all the tools needed for streaming, ticketing, and marketing. And because Stellar has eliminated up-front technology fees for Broadway Licensing clients, making the cost of streaming now based on box office revenue, it’s even easier and more affordable to begin streaming shows. 

Broadway Licensing’s Lauren Kardos shared that most of this 30% box office revenue fee pays for the royalties related to an author’s work via Broadway Licensing, while a portion is allocated to the Stellar team. And since all of your license details — including your organization’s name, the show title, and your license fee info — will be shared with Stellar ahead of time with a Broadway on Demand event, that information will auto-populate in a prebuilt shell for you, making the entire process even easier and more seamless.

If you're a nonprofit, Stellar offers an additional opportunity for fundraising, too. Stellar can seamlessly open up donations for your organization, either collected as an upsell option during checkout or as a button that allows viewers to donate in real-time during a livestream performance.

How do I set up captions and promote accessibility for my online events?

For video on demand, captions will need to be baked into the video asset. For livestreaming, there are tools that help with captioning in real time, and Stellar can advise you on a simple-to-implement solution to help make your shows accessible.

How long can you host a VOD on Stellar? Does my video ever have to expire?

For video on demand, your event can be live for as long as you’d like. But for licensed titles, it’s important to always check with your licensing rep and/or agreement  to make sure you have the necessary permissions to keep it live for that amount of time.

Can I adjust my existing license to change my stream type? What if I need to change the date of my stream?

Your license covers one performance regardless of stream type, so you'll want to work with your licensing rep for questions about your specific title. Should you need to change the date of your stream, your license will remain the same, but you’ll want to notify the Broadway Licensing team at dpsinfo@broadwaylicensing.com so your license can reflect your correct performance date.

New organizers - we're excited to work with you!

‍Once you've received all your license information from Broadway Licensing, the Stellar team will reach out to you via organizersupport@stellartickets.com. We'll provide you with all the information on how to get started, book your first onboarding session, and launch your first successful event!

‍