Janice R. Andrews
Zoom has revealed that their webinar platform can now accommodate up to one million simultaneous users, which is a ground-breaking milestone. This update comes after a spike in demand that was mostly caused by political fundraising initiatives, especially those assisting Vice President Kamala Harris’s candidacy. More space was required because political organizations used Zoom to hold large webinar events that drew hundreds of thousands of attendees.
With its increased webinar capabilities, Zoom can accommodate a variety of event sizes with different levels. Packages that support up to 10,000, 50,000, 100,000, 250,000, 500,000, and the recently added one million participants are now available for selection by customers. Zoom’s Event Services staff supports these one-time webinar packages, guaranteeing a smooth and expert experience for each and every participant.
Zoom’s Chief Product Officer, Smita Hashim, stated, “Event organizers now have the flexibility and power to host truly interactive experiences on an unprecedented scale.” “The ability to purchase large single-use webinars opens up new possibilities for virtual events across various sectors.”
Although Zoom’s webinar with one million attendees is a significant achievement, it was very expensive. $100,000 is all that is needed to host an event this size, which comes out to just $0.10 per person. In contrast, the cost of a webinar with 10,000 participants is $9,000, or over $1 per person.
Prior to this update, Zoom could accommodate up to 100,000 people. But in the summer of 2024, when many political fundraising events were held via Zoom, the platform’s bandwidth was exceeded. Notably, the “Win with Black Women” group raised $1.5 million for the Harris campaign in July by hosting a Zoom call with over 40,000 participants. “White Women for Harris,” with 164,000 participation, and “White Dudes for Harris,” with 190,000 attendance, came next.
Zoom made the choice to increase its capacity at a time when it is trying to diversify its sources of income. Zoom’s stock has already fallen to about $60 per share as the demand for virtual meetings declines, from a peak of $560 per share during the COVID-19 epidemic. With this new feature, Zoom may have a great chance to profit from significant virtual events in the public, entertainment, and business domains.
