It’s been generally accepted since the days of the 9600 baud modem that all Internet porn should be free. However, with the rise in high-quality video and new streaming systems, we can change that universal truth to “all bad porn on the Internet is supposed to be free.” The good stuff costs money.
Enter Pornhub Premium [seriously NSFW], a “higher-class experience for those who often visit our site” that offers full-length HD content in 1080p across all devices. In short, it’s really good porn for just $9.99 a month.
“For us, the benefit is establishing ourselves as the official ‘Netflix’ of porn. We want to carve out our own niche in the streaming ecosystem. No other companies have really come out on the forefront of this vertical of streaming service. So yes, part of it is a branding power play, but this is also about showcasing our capacity for innovation and staying on the cutting edge of current tech trends – showing people we can adapt,” said Pornhub VP, Corey Price.
Pornhub streams 6,000 terabytes of data daily – a pretty impressive feat for any IT department – and the Premium solution will be uncapped, allowing for smoother video and full resolution. The free offerings are obviously capped and far slower. But will people actually shell out $9.99 for some pr0n? Price believes so.
“Do we expect people to pay for porn? Absolutely. People pay for Spotify Premium, Pandora One, and Hulu Plus – why not something similar in the adult entertainment category,” said Price. “Again we have huge daily traffic, and while we don’t expect 100 percent uptake, we do know that we can expect (based on previous registration numbers for the first iteration of our paid version) a sizable amount of people to be interested in checking the platform out.”
The service launches today and they are offering a seven-day free trial and instant cancellation for those he may find themselves enjoying too much of a good thing.