Technoglitch
Core Member
Pornhub Premium, just announced yesterday by the adult streaming site, is just as unlikely a business model. For years, its parent company MindGeek (formerly known as Manwin) has encouraged consumers to think of adult entertainment as a freely available commodity, something to be enjoyed at will on their network of "tube sites" (including, but not limited to PornHub, RedTube, XTube, and YouPorn). Over the years, MindGeek's been plagued by allegations that their freely distributed content is actually the pirated product of their competitors, but as they've amassed power in the industry — and bought up some of their loudest antagonists, like Digital Playground — many of the complaints have died down.
Pornhub may argue that faster servers and HD content make their pay option more appealing. But for those that are willing to pay, faster servers and HD content have been available for years; if anything, the success of sites like Pornhub is proof that, when it comes to adult media, free trumps quality any day of the week. Notably, Pornhub isn't even the first to try out a Netflix-style streaming model: FyreTV, which debuted in 2008, has long offered a similar setup, which hasn't proven to be particularly popular. It's certainly possible that Pornhub will have better content, or pricing, or navigation, than its streaming predecessors, but will that actually be enough to make consumers interested?
Pornhub taught us to expect free porn — now, can it make us pay? | The Verge
Pornhub may argue that faster servers and HD content make their pay option more appealing. But for those that are willing to pay, faster servers and HD content have been available for years; if anything, the success of sites like Pornhub is proof that, when it comes to adult media, free trumps quality any day of the week. Notably, Pornhub isn't even the first to try out a Netflix-style streaming model: FyreTV, which debuted in 2008, has long offered a similar setup, which hasn't proven to be particularly popular. It's certainly possible that Pornhub will have better content, or pricing, or navigation, than its streaming predecessors, but will that actually be enough to make consumers interested?
Pornhub taught us to expect free porn — now, can it make us pay? | The Verge
