India Under Lockdown Turns To Porn: Pornhub Reports 95% Surge From India

India Under Lockdown Turns To Porn: Pornhub Reports 95% Surge From India

SUMMARY

Pornhub is offering free premium content till April 24 to promote social distancing

Pornhub started to witness a surge in the traffic from the first day of lockdown

Should the government revoke the ban on porn sites to promote social distancing?

Bypassing the government ban on porn sites, people in India have increased the consumption of adult movies on Pornhub, one of the most popular pornographic websites, thanks to the nationwide lockdown and the free access of premium content.

According to Pornhub’s recently published data, the porn site witnessed a 55% surge on day one of the 21-day lockdown as compared to the traffic registered by the company on an average day.

The California-based company also noted that the traffic started to increase considerably from March 8. It is worth noting that this was the time when most of the private companies and startups in India started to either provide work for home or paid leaves to the employees.

Pornhub India traffic

Interestingly, the surge in the traffic continued on all days after the lockdown was imposed. During the same period, Pornhub also unlocked the premium version of the library for all the users globally.

“Stay home and help flatten the curve! Since Covid-19 continues to impact us all, Pornhub has decided to extend free Pornhub Premium worldwide until April 23rd. So enjoy, stay home, and stay safe,” Pornhub said on March 24.

After offering its premium content for free, Pornhub was expecting a further surge in the traffic from India and Indians surely responded well as the porn site witnessed a 95% hike on March 27. Besides India, Pornhub also witnessed a spike in traffic from some of the countries which have been impacted the most due to the pandemic including the US, Italy, and Spain.

Time To Lift India’s Porn Ban?

For Pornhub, India has remained one of the key markets. However, a 2018 government clampdown on porn sites also restricted the access of Pornhub on many telecom and internet circles.

Currently, around 827 websites have been banned by the government. However, the restriction is limited to certain circles of telecom operators Bharti Airtel and Reliance Jio. Previously, Pornhub said that 91% of Indians still visit the porn site from their mobile phones.

In a previous report, Pornhub also noted that the largest proportion of millennials visiting the site making up 85% of the traffic generated by the country. Moreover, many people also use virtual private networks (VPNs) to access most of the banned porn sites.

So, rather than enforcing a soft ban, the government should reconsider its decision to block these websites. Further, in situations like Covid-19, the upliftment of the ban will help people to get another source of entertainment which will prevent them from going outside amid lockdown.

You have reached your limit of free stories
Become An Inc42 Plus Member

Become a Startup Insider in 2024 with Inc42 Plus. Join our exclusive community of 10,000+ founders, investors & operators and stay ahead in India’s startup & business economy.

2 YEAR PLAN
₹19999
₹7999
₹333/Month
Unlock 60% OFF
Cancel Anytime
1 YEAR PLAN
₹9999
₹4999
₹416/Month
Unlock 50% OFF
Cancel Anytime
Already A Member?
Discover Startups & Business Models

Unleash your potential by exploring unlimited articles, trackers, and playbooks. Identify the hottest startup deals, supercharge your innovation projects, and stay updated with expert curation.

India Under Lockdown Turns To Porn: Pornhub Reports 95% Surge From India-Inc42 Media
How-To’s on Starting & Scaling Up

Empower yourself with comprehensive playbooks, expert analysis, and invaluable insights. Learn to validate ideas, acquire customers, secure funding, and navigate the journey to startup success.

India Under Lockdown Turns To Porn: Pornhub Reports 95% Surge From India-Inc42 Media
Identify Trends & New Markets

Access 75+ in-depth reports on frontier industries. Gain exclusive market intelligence, understand market landscapes, and decode emerging trends to make informed decisions.

India Under Lockdown Turns To Porn: Pornhub Reports 95% Surge From India-Inc42 Media
Track & Decode the Investment Landscape

Stay ahead with startup and funding trackers. Analyse investment strategies, profile successful investors, and keep track of upcoming funds, accelerators, and more.

India Under Lockdown Turns To Porn: Pornhub Reports 95% Surge From India-Inc42 Media
India Under Lockdown Turns To Porn: Pornhub Reports 95% Surge From India-Inc42 Media
You’re in Good company