We recently caught up with Stab High founder Sam McIntosh for our Professional Edition readers. Stab High, is set to go live on Pay Per View via stabmag.com this Sunday, September 23rd. Tickets are on sale; you can get them here. I’ve just bought my early bird ticket to the PPV for the price of a half dozen beers ($15) We asked Sam McIntosh why he went down the PPV path and his answer surprised us (read the full interview HERE).
“We did a video called ‘The Dock’ last year and it had thirty-million views. And everyone was like this is incredible and it’s this and it’s that. And that means its 3/5ths of stuff all really, it doesn’t make my business any stronger, it doesn’t really mean anything. It’s just this vanity metric, it doesn’t actually mean anything,” said Sam McIntosh
“There’s no use of it. It’s purposeless, we don’t care if it gets thousands or millions of views, we prefer the right viewers who are there for the right reasons. The viewers who are the evangelists of our brand. If you like what we do, then you pay for it. If you don’t like it, then don’t pay for it and if no one pays for it, then we weren’t good enough, it didn’t work and we shouldn’t be around. It’s as simple as that,” admits McIntosh.
And so, as we embark on our own subscriber based platform HERE, we’re super interested to see how STAB HIGH will be supported by surfing fans who are accustomed to getting things on free to air platforms (such as the WSL – Facebook Live) and also how Stab’s PPV partners Cleeng (whose clients include Gold Boy Promotions (boxing) and FIFA (soccer) deliver a seamless PPV experience of surfing.
Are you willing to pay to watch a surf contest? Here’s how.
The Broadcast will go live at 12:30 pm local time. As most of us don’t live in Texas, here’s how that translates to your areas:
EST. Saturday, September 22, 1.30pm
PST. Saturday, September 22, 10.30am
AEST. Sunday, September 23, 3.30am
AWST. Sunday, September 23, 1.30am
The Round One Qualifier will run from 12:45 – 2:40 pm and will be available free of charge.
After that, you can pre-register for Pay Per View here: $13.99USD on event day or early bird price of $8.99USD. (Stab suggest you purchase and watch with friends. Have a party with cold beverages and send them a photo.)
Stab will run a Stab High Party Gallery following the event as a tribute to their true believers.
Round One will feature two lefts and two rights per surfer.
The Round Two Qualifier will run from 2:45 – 4:40 and will once again feature two lefts and two rights per surfer (20 surfers in both Qualifiers).
From 4:53 – 5:20 there will be a bonus wave, each surfer choosing a left or right of their choice. Two scores are held on to. One right and one left.
The top six surfers will be in the final.
Prior to the final, Stab High, are going to have an Acid Drop competition. The competition made possible by Vans will be judged by the surfer who put acid drops on surfboards on the map, Nathan Fletcher from 5:25 – 5:50.
At 6 pm (local time) the final round will kick off.
EST. Saturday, September 22, 7pm
PST. Saturday, September 22, 5pm
AEST. Sunday, September 23, 10am
AWST. Sunday, September 23, 8am
In the final, four lefts and four rights will be ridden by each surfer plus a bonus wave of choice. The best two scores (left + right) will be considered to determine the winner.
After the final, Stab will be rewarding six spectators a lucky door prize. They will be given a session in the pool with Shane Dorian and Bobby Martinez. Also, throughout the day, kids who want to ride the whitewash and the reform will be allowed to do so.
