Vimeo Thinks the World Needs Another Video Subscription Service

Vimeo is joining the increasingly lengthy roster of companies hoping to turn growing enthusiasm for watching videos online into monthly subscription fees. The video-sharing site will outline plans for a pay-as-you-go service in the next several months, said Chief Executive Officer Kerry Trainor, who hinted that the service will work a lot like Netflix—except stocked with the high-minded independent videos and documentaries for which Vimeo is known.

A subscription service is a logical move for a company that has always rejected advertising. Vimeo on Demand, a service launched in 2013, lets creators set their own fees for downloads and keep 90 percent of the revenue. More than 30,000 videos are for sale on the site today, and about 1.3 million people have paid for a download, according to the company.