CYBERSPACE — It’s no secret that live cam sites are the new darlings of the porn industry, but Valentine’s Day is becoming a true red-letter day for adult.
According to a Wired report, although traditional holidays decrease online porn traffic, live cams are a warm and inviting substitute for lonely lovers and a boon for both male and female cam performers.
Although the sites don’t divulge their numbers, some said revenues could increase as much as 25 percent in the days preceding Valentine’s.
Webcam star Natalie Star told Wired that the holiday generates big money. “If you think about it, there’s hundreds of thousands of lonely guys, they don’t have wives, they don’t have girlfriends. It’s huge, not only for the customers that know you, but for the girls who are trying to build their audiences.”
The report noted that cam sites make up half of the world’s 10 most frequented porn sites.
Cam site Chaturbate’s Shirley Lara said talent could typically earn customer tips of $500 to $1,000 on Valentine’s Day. And cam veteran Lily said she once received a $10,000 tip. And on the hoilday, the tips could go higher. The performer said her success is based on how she reads and listens to people — the key to conencting with users — and ultimately causing them to spend more money.
“It is that time when guys can show extra attention to the model, spoil her,” Lily said. “This is a great way for a guy to stand out, get noticed more by the girl.”
Hype before the holiday of course is common among cam site operators looking to cash in on the lonely hearts. Streamate hawks popular stars, and Chaturbate models hold raffles for redeemable tokens.
The report pointed to Flirt4Free’s unique approach that has talent giving customers Valentines that they can collect throughout the week. Just last week the company announced a week long Valentine’s celebration from Feb. 10-15 offering $20,000 in cash prizes for models, and fun competition for affiliates.
“On Valentine’s, we’ll have longer shows, romantic shows,” broadcast manager Jamie Rodriguez said.
A big part of the day’s appeal is the “girlfriend experience,” according to the talent. Some men book dinner dates that turn into long stays on the site — upwards of $20 a minute.
