User:AG at OnlyFans/OnlyFans draft

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OnlyFans
Company typePrivate
Industry
GenreVideo on demand
Founded2016; 8 years ago (2016) in London, United Kingdom
FounderTim Stokely
Headquarters
London, England
,
United Kingdom
Area served
Global
Key people
Keily Blair (CEO)
ServicesOFTV
RevenueUS$932 million[1] (2021)
OwnerFenix International Limited
Number of employees
~1,000[2] (2022)

OnlyFans is a British subscription-based social media and video hosting company created in 2016. It rose to prominence during the COVID-19 pandemic and its platform is best known for hosting pornography, though it also hosts a variety of content in other genres, including physical fitness classes and music promotion. Content on the platform is user-generated and monetized via monthly subscriptions, tips, and pay-per-view. The company takes 20% of these fees and creators keep the remaining 80%. It launched a free safe-for-work streaming platform, OFTV, in 2021.

As of May 2023, OnlyFans had more than 3 million registered creators and 220 million registered users.

Company overview[edit]

OnlyFans is a British subscription-based video on demand service and social media network.[3] It acts as a video hosting service, allowing content creators to upload videos and garner subscribers to their content. Subscribers pay creators in monthly instalments, in one-time tips, or via pay-per-view. The company takes 20% of these fees.[4][5]

Creators on OnlyFans produce a variety of content in different genres, including pornographic content, cooking shows, fitness classes, and music promotion.[6] In addition to the user-generated content on the platform, OnlyFans operates OFTV, a free app and streaming service with safe-for-work original shows and curated user-generated videos.[7] The company also partners with Spring to allow creators to advertise merchandise, sales from which OnlyFans does not take a percentage.[8]

As of May 2023, OnlyFans had 3 million registered creators and 220 million registered consumers.[9][10] A study published in the Archives of Sexual Behavior found a majority of the user base as of 2022 was heterosexual or bisexual white, married men.[11]

The company employs approximately 1,000 people, 80% of whom focus on content moderation and support.[12][2] It had 2021 revenues of US$932 million.[1] It is led by chief executive officer (CEO) Keily Blair and owned by Fenix International Limited.[13][14]

History[edit]

Founding and early years[edit]

OnlyFans was founded in 2016 by Tim Stokely as a means for creators to monetize content on their social media feeds.[15][5]

In October 2018, MyFreeCams founder Leonid Radvinsky acquired a 75% stake in OnlyFans.[15] After the acquisition, OnlyFans became increasingly focused on not-safe-for-work content.[13] By November 2019, the site had 7.5 million users.[16] In January 2020, activists used the platform to seek relief donations for victims of Australian bushfires. Kaylen Ward estimated that she raised more than US$1 million between her own campaign and a partnership with OnlyFans.[17]

Growth[edit]

Amateur and professional sex workers drove OnlyFans early growth, a process further accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic and the recession it caused.[18] Between March and April of 2020, the user and creator base grew by 75%.[7]

In February 2020, Buzzfeed News reported that OnlyFans had been hacked and as many as four terabytes of paywalled creator content had been published on various social media platforms. The company denied that such a leak had occurred.[19]

The site grew rapidly after it was mentioned by Beyoncé in the remix of the Megan Thee Stallion song, "Savage", released in April 2020.[20] Traffic increased by 15% and CEO Tim Stokely claimed OnlyFans was seeing approximately 200,000 new users and 6,000–8,000 new creators register daily.[13][7] The company began charging value-added tax in the summer of 2020 following conversations with HM Revenue and Customs.[21] By December 2020, OnlyFans had 85 million users and more than 1 million creators, generating more than US$2 billion in sales that year.[22]

2020 also saw numerous celebrities, including Cardi B, Rebecca Minkoff, and Tyler Posey, as well as media companies like Munchies and Barstool Sports join the platform, which further boosted interest in the site.[7][23] Bella Thorne broke OnlyFans earnings records when she joined the platform in August 2020, generating US$2 million in a week, including US$1 million in a 24-hour period.[24] Thorne promised subscribers nude photos, but instead provided only photos in lingerie, leading to a large number of chargebacks. Following the chargebacks, OnlyFans limited the amount creators could charge and how quickly creators could receive their payouts, though the company said it was unrelated to Thorne and part of "an evolving process."[25][26] Sex work advocates called Thorne a "tourist" in the sex work industry and blamed her for the policy change, saying it would cause them to lose a portion of their income.[27][28] Thorne's record was broken in April 2021 by Bhad Bhabie, who garnered US$1 million in six hours.[29] The broken record led to social media criticism of Bhabie's subscribers, as her OnlyFans account launched shortly after she turned 18.[30]

Content diversification[edit]

The user base of OnlyFans grew to 120 million by March 2021 and had collectively generated US$3 billion in sales for creators.[7] That month, the company launched its creative fund to provide £20,000 grants to four emerging musicians in the United Kingdom, as selected by Stokely and Stefflon Don. [31]

The site's content, which had been largely focused on the sex work industry, increasingly diversified in 2021. It attracted comedians, musicians, chefs, and fitness experts who produced non-sexually explicit content. OnlyFans paired this influx of safe-for-work content with the launch of OFTV, its free streaming service and app.[7] By June of 2021, the company was valued at more than US$1 billion.[32]

OnlyFans briefly entertained banning pornography from the platform in the fall of 2021. It announced the planned ban on 19 August 2021, to take effect that October, citing pressure from banks including Metro Bank, BNY Mellon, and JPMorgan Chase.[33][34][35] The decision received widespread backlash from OnlyFans users and creators, and it was reversed on 25 August 2021.[36] The company said it had "secured assurances" necessary to continue hosting sexually explicit content.[37] That December, Stokely stepped down as CEO and was replaced by Amrapali Gan.[2]

In 2022, content creators from Russia and Belarus reported they were unable to withdraw funds or were excluded from the platform as part of the economic sanctions following the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. OnlyFans said that this was because global sanctions meant the company had 'very limited methods to pay creator accounts linked to Russia and Belarus'. OnlyFans later said that they had restored full functionality to these accounts.[38][39]

The same year, OnlyFans expanded its creative fund, turning it into a reality competition show on OFTV. The program, titled Creative Fund: Fashion Edition, featured Rebecca Minkoff and was judged by Law Roach, Sir John and Maeve Reilly; the winner received $50,000, and $25,000 was awarded to second and third place.[40] A four-part Comedy Edition of the program in the U.K. and Ireland aired in 2023, with a similar prize fund. It was judged by London Hughes, Jamali Maddix and Mae Martin; Jack Guinness hosted and Sofie Hagen appeared.[41]

In August 2022, OnlyFans was named a defendant in a lawsuit with Meta Platforms, alleging that OnlyFans had bribed Meta to divert traffic from the Instagram accounts of performers who used rival sites by adding the accounts to a terrorism watchlist database, effectively shadow banning the users. In response, OnlyFans said it was 'not aware of any evidence which supports these allegations.'[42][43] The plaintiffs withdrew the bribery claim in July 2023 and the case was dismissed in August 2023, with the court noting that it did not have jurisdiction over OnlyFans.[44]

OnlyFans expanded its offerings on OFTV that year, releasing the reality show Model Farmers, hosted by Becky Houze. The show features celebrities working on a farm in the United Kingdom.[45] The company also signed deals with the Sims family, who starred in the English reality show The Only Way is Essex, and Whitney Cummings to star in shows for OFTV, slated to release in 2023. Cummings also started an account on OnlyFans main site.[46][47] Keily Blair succeeded Gan as CEO in July 2023.[14]

Safety[edit]

Concerns about the safety of users and distribution of child sexual abuse material have been raised about OnlyFans. A 2020 BBC Three documentary alleged that many Twitter users advertising 'nudes4sale' or similar tactics belonged to minors, who used OnlyFans to distribute their content.[48][49] The following year, BBC News reported on multiple instances of minors creating accounts and uploading explicit material to be distributed by OnlyFans.[50]

In August 2021, U.S. Representative Ann Wagner led 100 members of the United States Congress in penning a letter to the United States Department of Justice demanding the agency investigate OnlyFans for failing to stop the spread of child sexual abuse material on its platform.[51] The same month, OnlyFans released its first transparency report with details on its safety compliance program and how often it received requests for information on user accounts related to content created by underage users. It also reported requests related to other violations, including copyright and trademark infringement and the violation of platform rules. The company said it had received 783 requests for information related to child sexual abuse material from June 2020 through July 2021, and in July 2021 had deactivated 15 accounts for uploading illicit material of children. Gizmodo criticised the report, noting its confusing blend of figures and unclear methodologies.[52]

Since 2019, the platform's account verification process has involved a selfie headshot including an identification photo.[49] The process has since been further enhanced, though the company did not specify how, and BBC News reported that it was able to defeat the system. OnlyFans has been criticised by U.K. police for not doing enough to protect children on the platform.[50]

The company works with online exploitation agencies, including the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, to combat child sexual abuse on its platforms. It gave $500,000 to the Child Rescue Coalition in 2022 to help fund a project intended to investigate adult online behaviour that is sexually threatening to children.[50][53] The same year, OnlyFans was praised in a report by its government regulator, Ofcom, for its use of third-party verification tools.[54]

The company partnered with StopNCII.org in 2023, an online tool that uses a hash function system to prevent the spread of revenge porn and other non-consensual image sharing.[55]

Creators[edit]

As of September 2022, OnlyFans had more than 3 million registered creators producing content in a variety of categories, including pornography, instructional videos, fitness regimens, and music promotion.[10][6] Notable creators include DJ Khaled, Fat Joe,[15] Carmen Electra,[46] Tyga,[7] Iggy Azalea,[56] Amouranth,[57] and Markiplier.[58]

Recognition[edit]

OnlyFans has been the recipient of several innovation-related awards, and was named one of the 100 most influential companies by Time in 2021 and one of 2021's most innovative social media companies by Fast Company.[59][60] The Financial Times named OnlyFans one of the fastest-growing companies in Europe in 2022 and 2023.[61]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b Seal, Thomas (2 September 2022). "OnlyFans Owner Gets Over $500 Million in Dividends in Two Years". Bloomberg News. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
  2. ^ a b c Bruner, Raisa (31 July 2022). "OnlyFans CEO Ami Gan Wants to Dispel Misconceptions About the Company". Time. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
  3. ^ Dickson, E.J. (18 May 2020). "Sex Workers Built OnlyFans. Now They Say They're Getting Kicked Off". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
  4. ^ Jankowicz, Mia (14 March 2020). "We spoke to a woman earning more than $100,000 a year selling explicit content on OnlyFans — this is exactly how she makes her money". Business Insider. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
  5. ^ a b Bernstein, Jacob (9 February 2019). "How OnlyFans Changed Sex Work Forever". The New York Times. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
  6. ^ a b Pryce, Jonathan (5 May 2019). "Porn app OnlyFans and platform JustFor.Fans stars share personal stories, paid sexual content creation, and the online adult entertainment marketplace". Esquire Singapore. Archived from the original on 25 June 2020. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g Ifeanyi, K.C. (26 March 2021). "The NSFW future of OnlyFans, where celebs, influencers, and sex workers post side by side". Fast Company. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
  8. ^ Silberling, Amanda (17 November 2022). "OnlyFans partners with Spring to add shopping features". TechCrunch. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
  9. ^ Mann, Jyotti (13 May 2023). "OnlyFans now has more than 3 million content creators and is a 'global business', says the CEO". Business Insider. Retrieved 24 May 2023.
  10. ^ a b "OnlyFans owner makes $500m after spike in users". BBC News. 1 September 2022. Retrieved 1 August 2023.
  11. ^ Litam, Stacey Diane Arañez; Speciale, Megan; Balkin, Richard S. (August 2022). "Sexual Attitudes and Characteristics of OnlyFans Users". Archives of Sexual Behavior. 51 (6). Springer Science+Business Media: 3093–3103. doi:10.1007/s10508-022-02329-0. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
  12. ^ Browne, Ryan (7 June 2022). "OnlyFans says it's not seeing a Netflix-like slowdown in subscribers despite rising inflation". CNBC. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
  13. ^ a b c Zitser, Joshua (24 December 2020). "'Being made homeless is a perpetual fear': What it's like to risk everything just for posting on OnlyFans". The Independent. Retrieved 5 May 2022.
  14. ^ a b Spangler, Todd (18 July 2023). "OnlyFans Names Keily Blair New CEO". Variety. Retrieved 21 July 2023.
  15. ^ a b c Brewster, Thomas; Dawkins, David (16 June 2021). "The Shady, Secret History Of OnlyFans' Billionaire Owner". Forbes. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
  16. ^ Bosely, Matilda (22 December 2020). "'Everyone and their mum is on it': OnlyFans booms in popularity during the pandemic". The Guardian. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
  17. ^ Nguyen, Terry (8 January 2020). "Nude photos raised over $1 million for the Australia fires". Vox. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
  18. ^ Martinez Dy, Angela; Jayawarna, Dilani (August 2020). "Bios, mythoi and women entrepreneurs: A Wynterian analysis of the intersectional impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on self-employed women and women-owned businesses". International Small Business Journal. 38 (5): 391–403. doi:10.1177/0266242620939935. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
  19. ^ Broderick, Ryan; Steadman, Otillia (27 February 2020). "Terabytes Of Stolen Adult Content From OnlyFans Have Leaked". BuzzFeed News. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
  20. ^ Goldfine, Jael (29 April 2020). "Today Is About Beyoncé". Paper. Retrieved 25 May 2023.
  21. ^ Martin, Alexander; Stylianou, Nick (6 July 2020). "OnlyFans could be hit with bill for more than three years' worth of unpaid taxes". Sky News. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
  22. ^ Shaw, Lucas (5 December 2020). "OnlyFans Is a Billion-Dollar Media Giant Hiding in Plain Sight". Bloomberg News. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
  23. ^ Henderson, Cydney (20 August 2020). "Bella Thorne made $2 million on OnlyFans under a week? What to know about the site". USA Today. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
  24. ^ Spangler, Todd (26 August 2020). "Bella Thorne Breaks OnlyFans Record, Earning Over $1 Million in First 24 Hours". Variety. Archived from the original on 26 August 2020. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
  25. ^ Noor, Poppy (31 August 2020). "A Thorne in the site: the Bella Thorne and OnlyFans controversy explained". The Guardian. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
  26. ^ Carman, Ashley (1 September 2020). "OnlyFans confirms new caps on tips and pay-per-view content, but says the changes are unrelated to Bella Thorne". The Verge. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
  27. ^ Clark-Flory, Tracy (1 September 2020). "Sex Workers Are Furious About Bella Thorne's Self-Serving OnlyFans 'Tourism'". Jezebel. Retrieved 25 May 2023.
  28. ^ Russon, Mary-Ann (1 September 2020). "Bella Thorne, OnlyFans and the battle over monetising content". BBC News. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
  29. ^ Mamo, Heran (2 April 2021). "Cash Her Online: Bhad Bhabie Breaks OnlyFans Record, Earning $1M in 6 Hours". Billboard. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
  30. ^ Song, Sandra (3 April 2021). "Bhad Bhabie Broke OnlyFans Record By Making $1 Million in 6 Hours". Paper. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
  31. ^ Griffin, Andrew (16 March 2021). "OnlyFans launches £80,000 prize fund for emerging musicians as it seeks to change its tune". The Independent. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
  32. ^ Tan, Gillian; Shaw, Lucas (16 June 2021). "OnlyFans Seeks New Funding at Valuation Above $1 Billion". Bloomberg News. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
  33. ^ Lyons, Kim (19 August 2021). "OnlyFans to prohibit sexually explicit content beginning in October". The Verge. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
  34. ^ Fung, Brian (24 August 2021). "Why did OnlyFans ban sexually explicit content? It says it's the credit card companies". CNN Business. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
  35. ^ Nilsson, Patricia (24 August 2021). "OnlyFans founder blames banks for ban on porn". Financial Times. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
  36. ^ Browne, Ryan (25 August 2021). "OnlyFans says it will no longer ban porn in stunning U-turn after user backlash". CNBC. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
  37. ^ Nilsson, Patricia (25 August 2021). "OnlyFans reverses contentious porn ban". Financial Times. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
  38. ^ Sato, Mia (21 April 2022). "OnlyFans has 'temporarily paused' Russian creators' accounts". The Verge. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
  39. ^ Dickson, E.J. (28 February 2022). "OnlyFans Says It Has Restored Russian Creators' Accounts". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
  40. ^ Patterson, Charmaine (5 March 2022). "OnlyFans Announces Fund for Aspiring Fashion Creators and Taps Top Celeb Stylists to Help". People. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
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  42. ^ Southern, Keiran (11 August 2022). "Sex website 'bribed Meta to thwart rivals'". The Times. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
  43. ^ Belanger, Ashley (11 August 2022). "Lawsuits: OnlyFans bribed Instagram to put creators on "terrorist blacklist" [Updated]". Ars Technica. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
  44. ^ Poritz, Isaiah (1 August 2023). "OnlyFans Wins Dismissal in Instagram Traffic Conspiracy Case". Bloomberg Law. Retrieved 9 August 2023.
  45. ^ Rodger, James (4 July 2022). "BBC Countryfile farmer OnlyFans star gets her own TV show". Birmingham Mail. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
  46. ^ a b Spangler, Todd (19 July 2022). "OnlyFans Signs 'Only Way Is Essex' Stars Chloe Sims, Demi & Frankie to Content Deal". Variety. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
  47. ^ Spangler, Todd (3 November 2022). "Whitney Cummings Joins OnlyFans — but for Subscriber-Only 'Dirty Jokes,' Not Nude Pics (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
  48. ^ Morgan, Jessica (7 April 2020). "#Nudes4Sale Uncovers The Shocking Truth About Selling Nudes Online". Refinery 29. Vice Media. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
  49. ^ a b de Gallier, Thea (6 July 2020). "The hidden danger of selling nudes online". BBC Three. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
  50. ^ a b c Titheradge, Noel; Croxford, Rianna (27 May 2021). "The children selling explicit videos on OnlyFans". BBC News. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
  51. ^ Cole, Samantha (12 August 2021). "The Congresswoman Behind FOSTA Is Coming for OnlyFans". Vice News. Vice Media. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
  52. ^ Cameron, Dell (19 August 2021). "OnlyFans Reveals How Often Police Demand User Data (Sort Of)". Gizmodo. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
  53. ^ Hymas, Charles (11 October 2022). "Cyber experts will help police identify child sex abuse victims online". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 17 November 2022.
  54. ^ Montebello, Leah (20 October 2022). "Kudos for OnlyFans: Watchdog says smaller video platforms need to do more to protect kids". City A.M. Retrieved 15 June 2023.
  55. ^ Sellman, Mark (8 March 2023). "Nude images used to fight revenge porn on OnlyFans". The Times. Retrieved 30 May 2023.
  56. ^ Muir, Ellie (23 February 2023). "Iggy Azalea says she makes 'so much money' from OnlyFans after two months on the platform". The Independent. Retrieved 30 May 2023.
  57. ^ Press-Reynolds, Kieran (12 November 2022). "After Amouranth's abuse allegations, OnlyFans models and Twitch streamers say hidden exploitation is everywhere in the industry". Business Insider. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
  58. ^ Taylor, Mollie (9 December 2022). "Markiplier finally released his OnlyFans and broke the whole damn site". PC Gamer. Retrieved 30 May 2023.
  59. ^ Bruner, Raisa (26 April 2021). "OnlyFans: Boosting the creator economy". Time. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
  60. ^ "The 10 most innovative social media companies of 2021". Fast Company. 3 September 2021. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
  61. ^ Kilby, Nathalie (1 March 2023). "FT 1000: the seventh annual ranking of Europe's fastest-growing companies". Financial Times. Retrieved 15 June 2023.

External links[edit]

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