YNOT – GameLink, a video-on-demand platform for adult entertainment, has a message for both presidential candidates: Threatening to outlaw online porn may alienate their constituencies.
Among the battle lines that have been drawn this election year is one between free-speech advocates and porn haters. Both incumbent Democrat Barack Obama and Republican challenger Mitt Romney have fielded questions about their positions on the prosecution of pornographers; Obama consistently sidesteps the issue, but Romney has indicated “fighting porn will be a top priority” and his administration would “vigorously crack down on the porn industry.”
GameLink wants both candidates to know its sales figures indicate a porn crackdown might be tantamount to shooting a campaign in the foot.
According to GameLink’s data:
- The U.S. is the top producer of adult videos, with a new title produced every 39 minutes.
- Porn can claim more than 40 million regular customers, a third of them women.
- U.S. consumers account for more than half of all online porn revenue.
- Hawaii residents consume the most adult video per capita; Washington DC, where ebony- and gay-themed movies are top sellers, is close behind at No. 3, while Vermont residents consume the least.
- Utah residents subscribe to porn sites more than anyone else in the nation.
- Every second, more than 28,000 internet users watch porn, generating a total revenue of $3,000.
- Twenty-five percent of all search engine requests are pornography-related.
- During the primary elections, the best-selling movie in Florida was Transsexual Babysitters #18.
- Eight out of the top 10 pornography consuming states gave their electoral votes to Obama in the 2008 presidential election.
“When looking at user behavior on our VOD platform, we found that the big primary states of California, New York and Texas are the largest consumers of adult material, consuming more than nine million minutes of adult video so far during this election season,” said GameLink executive Andrew Sullivan. “As always, GameLink caters to each and every one of these American consumers’ tastes and celebrates our freedom to enjoy adult entertainment without political interference.”
