Video-calling software Zoom has unveiled a new feature that lets users pay for a live ‘online experience.’ Called OnZoom, the new feature places the video chat platform in a better position against competitors like Microsoft and Google. Zoom has garnered huge popularity after a lockdown was imposed to curb the spread of the coronavirus pandemic. It is now trying to build on its popularity. Zoom is also trying its best to encroach in the territories of companies like Live Nation and Eventbrite that sell tickets to live events. There are several companies that have only recently shifted their focus on online events. But unlike most of these competitors providing live-ticketing, Zoom is not going to take a cut of ticket sales. This is going to last at least until the end of the year 2020. Zoom will not take a cut at least during the OnZoom public testing period.

Zoom was initially planning to sign up corporate clients but it soon realized that the software is getting adopted for a variety of other purposes, including school classes and even weddings. At one point during the pandemic, Zoom saw a huge jump in daily call participants and it crossed the figure of 300 million. Since then, shares of Zoom continue to rise and have risen more than 600 per cent this year. As the lockdown because of the pandemic dragged, yoga classes to poetry readings moved to Zoom. The video calling platform is giving them a way to charge admission. Its website will has a directory of events that people can join.

Wei Li, head of platform and artificial intelligence at Zoom, said that the company is not taking any cut at the moment but the company will think about whether it should start charging next year. For now, to create single or repeating events through OnZoom, users of the platform must have paid subscriptions and be located in the United States. The service will be made available to users globally in 2021.