• MindGeek is the most dominant porn company in the world
  • Based in Montreal
  • Owner of several popular sites like Pornhub, RedTube and YouPorn
  • Owner - Bernard Bergemar

Operations

  • Roughly 15 TB of videos get uploaded to MindGeek’s sites every day. This is equivalent to roughly half of the content available to watch on Netflix
  • Vast amount of pornography available on free-to-watch tube sites is stolen

Business Model

  • MindGeek uses detailed data to track the sexual fantasies of millions of people.
  • It, then, orders production studios what to shoot for their subscription pages.
  • If the “free” product flops, audiences for premium products grow and vice versa, leaving MindGeek profiting either way
  • Bandwidth data by network firm Sandvine confirms that Pornhub is the world’s most popular adult site.
  • Rival Xvideos comes close, but MindGeek controls an entire network of related businesses, with arms such as TrafficJunky and age verification service AgeID strengthening its arsenal of top-ranking tube sites and subscription platforms.

Secretiveness of the company

  • It has very little scrutiny or accountability
  • MindGeek and Mr Bergemar have remained largely in the shadows.
    • Its early lenders such as JP Morgan have also made sure to hide from view

Modest profits

  • As per its recents accounts in 2018, MindGeek had made only modest profits.
  • Pre-tax profit reached 9.7m in 2017 and 500m

Reason for the modest profits

  • The interest on the loan received by Thylmann is a major culprit
    • It has paid an annual 20.4 per cent interest rate on outstanding debt that in 2018 reached $370m.
  • Money is also funnelled into a complex network of subsidiaries that MindGeek owns less than a third of and in which Mr Bergemar holds a significant set of shares, according to a person close to the company.

Sources