As many online publishers have answered the “premium or free?” question by dropping pay walls for ad support, one of the few areas left strictly pay-for – aside from business news – has been adult content. But could that be about to change? London-based Mobile Streams – better known for its Ringtones.com, MobileComedy.mobi, MobileGamer.mobi and MobileWallpapers.mobi portals – has launched Prontube.mobi, a “solely advertising-funded” adult video site for mobile.
Where usually this kind of stuff is billable by operators (and, yes, some operators do carry this kind of content), Prontube.mobi’s vids are free. *Mobile Streams* CEO Simon Buckingham said ad funding had become so important to mobile content that the company has upgraded its publishing systems to offer ad support. Banners on the service so far are for what can best be described a dating service. Release.
Another adult publisher targeting mobile is Private Media Group, the first such to list on Nasdaq. The multimedia group, started in Stockholm and based in Nevada, has signed a mobile deal with French magazine publisher and new media group 1633 Publishing, which, over the years, has published the likes of Playboy (NYSE: PLA), Maxim and Penthouse on license in France. 1633 gains rights to distribute Private’s adult videos through operator portals as well as its own network, which includes Playboy and others; the deal covers France, Belgium and Romania. 1633 in recent years has concentrated on taking its adult magazine portfolio on to web and mobile. Release.