Aztec Video Streaming and Membership Theme

Not everyone who reaches your catalog wants a subscription

Someone finds your movie through a link, wants to watch it tonight and has no plans to come back. If the only door is a monthly plan, they have two ways out: pay for something they are not after, or leave. A single-price model shuts that visitor out.

Aztec, by Progression Studios, combines both doors. It brings a catalog of movies, series and audio, and includes ARMember inside to charge for plans with optional trials, one-time or recurring payments, and also to sell a specific post without creating any plan. The decision that matters is not which design to use, but which titles go inside the plan and which sell separately.

The catalog the viewer sees

• Built-in player for files hosted on your site, in MP4 and MP3, and for YouTube and Vimeo.
• Third-party players and embed code for video and audio.
• Seasons and episodes with no limit per title.
• Watchlist for saving videos.
• Ratings and detailed reviews from users.
• Custom search engine for finding videos.
• Three demo variants: dark, light and default.

Billing and access with ARMember inside

The membership side comes with the ARMember plugin included in the theme. These are the membership features of Aztec:

• Unlimited plans with optional trials, one-time or recurring payment.
• Pay per post: sell individual content with no plan.
• Gateways: PayPal, Stripe, Authorize.net, 2Checkout and bank transfer.
• Access restriction for specific pages or the entire site.
• Drip content and coupon management.
• Member profiles and social network login.

Drip has a clear use for series: releasing episodes in stages instead of handing over the full season on day one. Test that combination with your own episodes before announcing it.

Where the video lives and what stays out

Aztec is the platform around the video, and you decide where each file comes from. If you upload MP4 files to your own site, storage and traffic fall on your hosting, so it is worth checking its limits before opening. With YouTube, Vimeo or an external player, each service applies its own terms.

Among its features there is no live streaming, no conversion to multiple qualities and no protection of video against downloads. If your project needs any of those three, it will have to come from an external service that works through a third-party player or embed code, and that needs testing before you commit.

The theme does not bring your titles either: the catalog, the posters and the descriptions of each movie or series are your work.

Building with the page builder and a first test sale

Aztec works with Elementor and Elementor Pro, and the header and footer are edited with the page builder. It includes Boosted Elements for sliders, maps and popups, plus mega menus, and it is compatible with WooCommerce. It can be translated into other languages.

This order leaves billing proven before loading the whole catalog:

1. Install the theme, activate the included plugins and run the demo importer.
2. Decide which titles go into the plan and which sell separately.
3. Create the plan in ARMember and connect a gateway.
4. Publish a title with its video source and restrict access.
5. Make a test purchase with a new account.
6. Load the rest of the catalog on that same scheme.

When to look elsewhere in the catalog

If your project includes live broadcasts, WowTube plans for movies, series and live streams, with subscription, pay-per-view or advertising. For a portal with channels and subscription, there is StreamVid.

If you already have a theme that works and only billing is missing, ARMember can be used as a plugin on its own: it is the same membership piece Aztec includes.

The essentials of selling video with Aztec

Can I charge without a monthly plan?

Yes. Plans allow one-time payment, and pay per post sells individual content with no plan.

Can I offer a free trial?

Yes, plans allow optional trial periods.

Does it work for audio or podcasts?

Yes. It is a video and audio theme, its player accepts MP3, and the demo has a podcasts section.

Can I close the whole site to non-payers?

Yes. Restriction works for specific pages or the entire site.

Do I have to upload videos to my server?

Not necessarily. It also works with YouTube, Vimeo, third-party players and embed code.