LOS ANGELES -- Adult producers seeking the next best method of delivering thier content to users learned that two main delivery methods – mobile and IPTV-like devices - are the keys to better monetization.
The XBIZ LA seminar Porn Delivered: The Key Distribution Channels of Today & Tomorrow featured industry experts speaking about what they believed to be the important issues facing the age-old question concerning how to provide consumers with a new and exciting experience.
The two favored technologies among the panel members that included AEBN’S Liz Wright, Mikandi’s Suby C, EroticVison.tv’s John JJ Jolliffe and others were the much-publicized mania over mobile and set top TV boxes that bypasses the computer.
Seminar host, Brad Mitchell of Mojohost kicked off the discussion by asking the panelists about the viability and possible success of delivering content via the Apple iPhone. AEBN’s Wright said in the last 12 months the company has seen substantial traffic spikes to their text-based websites from iPhone usage.
“We’ve seen a three to five percent increase throughout our network. But interestingly enough, not as much on the VOD side,” Wright said.
She added that the company is planning on updating their mobile products soon and add new platforms to take advantage of what she said is a growing market and one that simply cannot be ignored or thought of as a novelty.
Mikandi’s Suby C agreed and pointed to his company’s Android mobile application that allows content producers to simply develop their content for mobile use and deliver it through the Mikandi app store. He said producers could develop mobile apps for as little as $500 or get fancy for $100K.
“In the past iPhone apps were guarded. Things are loosening up and coming together. IPhone apps don’t work unless they make producers money. Apps need to be cool and that’s what we’re providing,” he said.
Suby pointed to a strip club app that provides information about local clubs, etc. as a "teaser” to upsell to pay sites. “This is a way to build a brand,” he said.
Another hot button item is the ability to bypass the home computer and deliver porn straight to the user’s TV via set-top boxes like the Roku.
Eroticvision.tv’s John JJ Joliffe said that for a small investment of about $100 a user can receive great quality porn on his 52-inch TV set, often in HD.
One seminar attendee, Wasteland’s Colin Roundtree noted that since he began delivering his content via Roku he has seen a substantial increase in user retention. “The stay because they build a play list and they don’t’ want to lose their favorite porn,” he said.
The keys to delivery seem not to be so much in the technology but the “experience” the user receives either in ease of use or more appealing viewing capabilities.
Moderator Mitchell summed it up by saying that producers need to study ways of improving retention and not just concentrate on the medium and the markets.
“There are new revenue opportunities for sure. But don’t forget the user’s experience,” he said.