There is a lot taking place in the world of movies and television. Unfortunately for them, it is following the path of the porn industry.
Pornography has an interesting history. At the core is always the debate between obscenity and freedom. For this sake of this article, that is beyond the scope.
What I am going to focus upon is the business aspect and how pornography epitomizes many of the characteristics that are befalling mainstream media. In fact, if we look at the paths, they are very similar.
Image generated by Ideogram
Mainstream Media Following The Path Of The Porn Industry
The Internet changed everything. In this article we will focus upon 3 ways the disruption manifested itself. The porn industry preceded mainstream media by a decade but the parallels are becoming evident.
Before diving in, I have to start the porn industry still generated billions in revenues. When we look at media (including films) we are talking tens of billions.
These are still big animals that will not disappear overnight, if ever. What we see is a massive transformation.
So let us look at the common characteristics on this path.
Entry Of Amateurs
In its heyday, pornography was basically a few main players. There were a number of "stars", who commanded most of the attention.
This no longer is the case. We have to go back to Jenna Jamison to find a true name in the business.
The ability to film using an inexpensive camera (or even phone) and upload to a site meant that basically anyone (of age) could become a porn actor. In fact, amateur porn became a popular genre.
Contrast that with mainstream media. YouTube is filled with alternative version of the mainstream media. There is no need to turn on cable news or ESPN. We see channels by many individuals who are not professionals, at least in the traditional sense of the word.
Some of these amateurs are becoming very successful. In fact, on election Night in the United States, some of them drew larger numbers than some of the news outlets.
Draining Of Money
The money is not there like it use to be.
In the glory days of porn, there were many who were under contract with some of studios. They were paid rather well. Of course, these were the most popular stars.
When there are a smaller number of players, and distribution is controlled, the pie can keep growing. revenue came from the rental of videos, distribution rights, and, if we go back far enough, ticket sales.
Much like the music business, those business models of obsolete.
Today, most are independent. They are hustling with their own websites, doing OnlyFans, and staging live appearances. Sites like YouPorn get enormous amounts of traffic, depending (I presume) on advertising. This is not much different from how YouTube operates.
The challenge is the individuals performing do not make a lot of money. Reports are the average OnlyFans "model" makes around $150 per month. While there are a few who clean up, the majority are earning nothing.
Could we see the same thing happen with mainstream media. In the news realm, there is already discussion of this. MSNBC and CNBC are up for sale. If purchased, one of the first things the new owners will do is slash costs. This means highly paid talent will find their contracts are not renewed.
These are the Vivid Girls of the mainstream.
Names like Tucker Carlson, Bill Maher, and Bill O'Reilly were able to start their own companies and appear to enjoy a lot of success. However, like the OnlyFans situation, the majority are not in this category.
Massive Fragmentation
We discussed this at length concerning Hollywood.
There was a time when most of the porn was produced in the San Fernando Valley, a suburb of Los Angeles. Like Hollywood for mainstream productions, it was the epicenter.
Obviously, this is no longer the case. If anyone with a smartphone can enter the porn game, that means centralization is gone. Due to technology, people can film and upload from anywhere.
Of course, we see this with other forms of media. Popular channels on YouTube are done by people, most outside Los Angeles or New York. For most, who knows where they are located.
We also see a change of where people consume the content. social media is pulling a lot of eyeballs with X and YouTube also offering video. TikTok completely change the game as people get quick hits of information or entertainment.
No longer do people have to tune into the networks or head to the movie theater. There are streaming services, owned by the major players. Piracy sites, many from China, upload the content and play a game of Whack-A-Mole with governments trying to shut them down. Then we have hundreds of thousands of individual websites where people are providing content, focusing upon whatever the site pertains to.
AI Content
The final piece of the puzzle is not here yet, at least not in force.
Both mainstream media and porn will be completely disrupted by generative AI. We are seeing the green sprouts of this happening now. While it is in its embryotic stage, it is only going to improve. This means we will see more of it as the barrier to entry declines.
On this front, porn is most likely ahead of the curve. The level of acceptability is much lower than mainstream content. As the AI models improve, creators will have more opportunities regarding what they can create. Eventually, it will work up the scale, starting to target mainstream productions.
It starts with porn then moves into the mainstream media.