Demand and profitability soar as new technology increases access ease and anonymity
NEW YORK, Oct 23 (LSN.ca) – In a revealing report today on the big business behind the $10 billion a year U.S. pornography industry, the New York Times reveals the who and the how of the erosion of civilization. The lengthy Times report is titled “Erotica Inc.—A special report” and subtitled “Technology sent wall street into market for pornography.” While most thought of Hustler’s Larry Flynt as a kingpin in the porn industry, the Times reveals that the General Motors Corporation now sells more graphic sex films every year than does Flynt. Through its DirecTV subsidiary, GM has 8.7 million Americans buying some US$200 million a year in pay-per-view sex films from satellite.
The communications giant, AT&T Corp. offers a hard-core sex channel called the Hot Network through its cable service despite the objections of some of its investors. EchoStar Communications, the second largest satellite provider (heavily backed by Rupert Murdoch) outdoes Playboy in the sex-business says the Times. Other major players shooting for profits while attacking the moral underpinnings of Western society with their wares include Time Warner, Liberty Media, On Command, LodgeNet Entertainment and the News Corporation.
Forty percent of all U.S. hotel rooms are also equipped to offer porn and are a major component of the already out-of-control problem. Mariott International, run by several prominent Mormons, and Hilton are raking in huge profits from the porn they offer in their rooms to guests. The Times reports that hotel industry stats indicate that at least half of all guests buy the porn movies. The article mentions that the Omni hotel chain has decided to veto pornography offerings in their rooms for a loss of $1.8 million per year in porn revenue. Omni received 50,000 calls and letters of support for its decision.
The removal of technical barriers to the smut is driving the increased demand and selling of supply. With the advent of the VCR, sales in porn shot up and with satellite pay-for-view there was again a surge, and now the Internet has the illicit trade threatening to envelop the planet.
(New York Times, October 23, 2000)