Canadian website Pornhub, the world's most popular porn website and the 25th most popular among all websites on the planet, says it's very interested in acquiring Tumblr, the struggling microblogging site that banned adult content in December 2018.
Pornhub Vice President Corey Price said Pornhub is "extremely interested" in buying Tumblr, and plans to restore Tumblr's NSFW reputation if and when this deal pushes through. Pornhub is owned by MindGeek, which enjoys a near monopoly of the online porn business worldwide.
"Tumblr was a safe haven for those who wanted to explore and express their sexuality, adult entertainment aficionados included," said Price to BuzzFeed News.
"We've long been dismayed that such measures were taken to eradicate erotic communities on the platform, leaving many individuals without an asylum through which they could comfortably peruse adult content."
Price is referring to Tumblr's December 2018 ban on NSFW (not safe for work) content. This had the practical effect of evicting Tumblr's huge and loyal base of bloggers, leaving no viable platform for independent adult content creators and curators. These people then became "porn refugees."
Price knows NSFW content has long remained one of the cornerstones of Tumblr's community. Before the ban, Tumblr was hailed as one of the best places for independently created and curated pornographic content for young women and members of the LGBTQ community.
Analysts trace the ban and Tumblr's fall from grace to its acquisition by Yahoo for $1.1 billion in 2013. Tumblr's value then plummeted by $230 million in 2016. Tumblr wound up as part of Verizon after the latter bought Yahoo in 2017.
Analysts say Tumblr has languished under the Verizon Media Group, which apparently doesn't know what to do with the site. Without proper strategy or talent, Tumble quickly fell into decline while rivals Medium and Instagram soared.
Verizon is currently seeking a buyer for Tumblr, which continues to have problems meeting its revenue targets.
Enter PornHub and MindGeek, which has been accused of shady practices such as exploiting its pornstars and underpaying them while abetting the widespread piracy of porn films that cuts into the money due their pornstars.
Price said there are "obvious synergies between the two brands and value Pornhub could derive from Tumblr. We're extremely interested in acquiring the platform and are very much looking forward to one day restoring it to its former glory with NSFW content."
Pornhub is already trying to curry favor among Tumblr's porn refugees. It tweeted, "Pornhub welcomes you with open arms. Join our amazing community of millions. Curators: Customize your personal feed, create playlists, generate gifs and more."
This article was first published in IBTimes US. Permission required for reproduction.
