Net hurts porn industry

This might be a surprise to some, possibly because of all that we hear in the news media about porn on the Net. And that’s exactly why. “The online availability of free or low-cost photos and videos has begun to take a fierce toll on sales of X-rated DVDs. Inexpensive digital technology has paved the way for aspiring amateur pornographers, who are flooding the market, while everyone in the industry is giving away more material to lure paying customers,” the New York Times. Porn customers apparently don’t care that much about brand-name material. It’s a $13 billion industry that has experienced “years of steady increases,” the Times reports. But sales and rentals of, for example porn videos were $3.62 billion last year, down from $4.28 billion in 2005, it adds. What this spells, the article indicates, is more “teaser porn” on the Web – free, short promo videos trying to lure people into buying.