Zoom has significantly increased its capacity for webinar calls, now allowing up to one million simultaneous participants, following a series of massive fundraising events held to support Vice President Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign.
This development enables Zoom customers to host virtual events with attendance ranging from 10,000 to 1 million participants, catering to various needs across different sectors.
What Led to Zoom’s Capacity Increase?
In recent weeks, multiple political groups have leveraged Zoom’s platform to conduct large-scale fundraising events. For instance, in July, the organization Win With Black Women hosted a Zoom event that attracted over 40,000 participants and raised more than $1.5 million for the Harris campaign within just three hours. Other notable events include White Dudes for Harris, which drew over 190,000 attendees, and White Women for Harris, which nearly reached 200,000 participants. Even venture capitalists have used Zoom to raise funds for the campaign.
These virtual fundraising efforts have contributed to the Kamala Harris and Tim Walz campaign, with approximately $20 million of the $310 million raised in July coming from such events, according to The Washington Post.
Before this expansion, Zoom’s official capacity for webinar calls was capped at 100,000 participants. However, according to a report by Bloomberg, Zoom may have “quietly intervened” to allow these large fundraising events to exceed this limit, although the company has not confirmed this claim. Smita Hashim, Zoom’s chief product officer, highlighted that the expanded capacity is “revolutionizing the way organizations can seamlessly connect and engage with massive audiences.”
What Does This Service Cost?
The new one-million-participant option provides customers with various tiers of service, each supported by Zoom’s Event Services team to ensure a smooth and engaging experience. The cost for hosting a one-time webinar with one million participants is $100,000, while a smaller event with 10,000 participants is priced at $9,000.
