U.S. Cable & Satellite Providers to Promote Porn in Down Economy

With eyes on profits in this tough economy - and with a less conservative administration in the White House - U.S. cable and satellite services plan increases in pay-per-view porn promotions.

There are few industries in America as profitable as the estimated $10 billion pornography sector. Much of this success can be attributed to the wide variety of distribution methods available to pornography producers - a range that includes internet properties, specialty retail outlets, premium cable channels, hotel pay-per-order, and pay-per-view offerings through cable, telephony, and satellite providers. Facing a daunting competitive scenario with popular high-speed telephony services and a difficult broader U.S. economy, cable and satellite providers are planning to promote their pay-per-view pornography selections more aggressively. According to Advertising Age, the on-air promotions will be distributed on male-oriented channels - like ESPN and Spike TV - and will appear in late-fringe time periods after midnight. "What's more," Advertising Age's Claude Brodesser-Aker wrote. "Even as they raise prices on regular channels, the price of their adult fare is about to get much cheaper and more attractive." The more cost-effective pay-per-view pornography model is in response to pricing erosion that has become a byproduct of the porn industry's large-scale distribution over the internet. "Pay-per-view porn is being slowly nibbled to death by more cheaply-priced (or free) internet smut, while adult studios are suffering from stalled DVD sales," Brodesser-Aker reported. Pricing aside, the pay-per-view model yields very real profits for the providers - as much as 90% of the revenue goes to the provider. But the decision to promote pornography as a pay-per-view option is also about the new liberal political atmosphere in Washington, DC. The Bush administration was decidedly anti-porn, defending tough laws that made widespread distribution more uncomfortable. For more on the federal government's push, see this link. Ali Joone, CEO of adult studio Digital Playground, explained to Advertising Age: "We're coming out of an eight-year political administration that was very tough on the adult business. What is driving cable operators now is money, not fear. They're starting to not really care what people say; they're looking at their bottom line."