Mobile Porn is the main driver of Mobile Content

Mobile Porn IS Mobile Content

Alexander Trommen COO Minick, spoke honestly and openly about the services it enables for operators in Europe. I nearly had a heart attack when he started quoting stats of full feature length mobile porn films.

Don’t get me wrong. Minick is not a pure mobile porn enabler or content provider. It provides a number of mobile content services for mobile operators. But as his presentation at Web 2.0 was about mobile 2.0 drivers – the most notable discussion came from his comments on mobile porn being not only wanted but how porn can provide an insight into what will work on mobile.

Yikes! Oh yes.

Apparently this made for mobile content or time fillers such as the 100 second new shows that Minick provide for Swisscom are great. But, the recent uptake in Germany of full length feature films (hard core porn) is proof that consumers are watching long features on mobile and video on demand features are working on mobile.

Moreover, consumers are buying films and then stopping, pausing or starting them again up to six times a day!
OMG.
After his presentation I approached Alexander to dig a little deeper.

I said, Alexander you mentioned the uptake of horror and porn on mobile. This is scary as a mother – what about the implications for operators if it’s abused?

Alexander said that he thought that mobile operators were very strict on mobile services and users had to be over 18. He guessed that the majority of users of the service were probably truck drivers more than anything else.

Hmmm.

Then he said that for all content there is a free and a paid version. Initial uptake of what he called “grey” (free) content was high. Up to 8 times higher than other content. But this was only for a short period of time. Then uptake died down.

He said that porn was successful because it was about quality and users wanted to pay for good quality – or something of that effect.

Alexander said that ad-funded content doesn’t pay off and it’s not a money maker. He said premium content is the way forward and (unfortunately- my input) porn is the main driver of this.

What we think?

Now, I have to be honest. I am a little shocked by this. We all know the hype about porn and the sex industry is the driver of everything and apparently that is why VHS was king – or whatever.

But for fear of sounding like a complete prude – do we need porn on mobile. I know I don’t.
 
I think there should be special over 18 devices or something so that other devices are secure.  Or stickers on devices that can be purchased by consumers for U, PG or 12, 15 or 18 content – the cinema model.

I mean, I just went onto my Vodafone Germany to look for something naughty. It didn’t take me more than two minutes. I haven’t seen this on the UK section as obviously but Erotik (German spelling)  is in the main menu.
Should it be so easy to find? I think it’s too much temptation for kids and youth. But the German’s and the Dutch are a lot more relaxed about this – even daytime TV shows women nearly naked.

Gosh – I do sound like a prude. But what do you think?

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