25 ADULT CONTENT The Business Of Porn T sin ss o
THE VR PLATFORM: BADOINK Porn sites have been embracing VR because it offers a new product to sell to consumers at a time when X-rated clips are readily available by the millions on tube sites. While BaDoink initially launched in 2006 as a premier online adult entertainment destination, in 2015 it decided to focus exclusively on virtual reality. Today the platform offers a number of subscription- based services across a network of VR sites including BaDoinkVR, VRCosplayX, 18VR, BabeVR, RealVR, and KinkVR. BaDoink ‘s head of production Xavi Clos confirms that one of the reasons why the firm has decided to hedge its bets with VR is because the content is harder to pirate. “Because of the large file sizes and format requirements, you don’t see the same amount of traffic with pirated content,” he says “Moreover, we offer new exclusive content on a weekly basis, which serves as the motivation for customers who want a consistent stream of new video. A paid subscription is the only way to access them,” he says.
subscriptions. These consumers are also more willing to pay for the additional accessories and smart sex toys too – which BaDoink is looking to market. The platform has already partnered with companies such as Kiiroo, the Dutch sex toy company founded by former F1 driver Robert Doornbos, to provide teledildonic integrations with its content. “Their male masturbator toy can sync in real-time with VR porn videos provided by BaDoinkVR – meaning that every thrust you see on the screen, you really feel,” Clos explains. The production head adds that the company is also exploring other emerging technologies that could make the VR experience even more immersive, by activating senses like smell or touch. “We think that haptic devices will play a big role in adult VR entertainment in the future,” he predicts. Like Kink, BaDoink also thinks that there is a legitimate opportunity to play a role in sex education and sex therapy. The site’s Virtual Sexology videos, for example, focus on male and female pleasure, and Clos says the company will continue to “push the envelope and find new, positive ways to deliver content that will both educate and entertain users.”
While some of the main players, such as Oculus, aren’t allowing adult content in their own stores, they appear to be making it relatively easy for users to consume content via third-party sources. One of BaDoink’s partners, for example, includes a company called Porn In-a-Box, which bundles in the site’s pre-loaded content with Oculus GO. Clos also reports that BaDoink has good relations with several adult-friendly headset manufacturers, including Homido. “We’ve also worked with providers who offer an ‘all-in-one’ headset that come preloaded with our content, such as VRotica and PVR IRIS,” he adds. While Samsung’s Gear VR was responsible for almost 37% of video downloads on BadoinkVR in 2017, there’s been a notable upswing in consumption via higher-end headsets – with Oculus Rift and HTC Vive together coming in at almost 20%, while Playstation VR is used by 11.1% to view VR porn. THE FEELIES The uptake in high-end headsets is a trend that VR subscription sites hope will continue – if headsets remain at the price they are, content is more likely to attract consumers who can afford membership
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