June 4, 2007

Adult Content That Keeps Its Shirt On, Almost

By Janet Stilson

New Frontier Media has branched into a new area of content that’s moving the company’s programs outside the adult section of operators’ on-demand lineups, into more mainstream areas. The company is creating on-demand programming in the erotic thriller and reality show genres that it believes is tamer than the explicit fare usually found in the adult category — more like the kind of shows offered during late-night hours by premium cable services, and generally referred to as soft-core.

Ken Boenish, president of New Frontier and TEN

"This content is a brand new revenue stream for cable operators, and it’s 100% incremental to what we generate in the adult category," says Ken Boenish, president of New Frontier and TEN. He notes that New Frontier research shows that 70% of all cable customers "are interested in adult [content] or open to purchasing adult," but they hesitate to buy it because they’re uncomfortable with the level of explicitness or the cost. This new content should address the explicitness issue.

Boenish is projecting that within three months, 90% of all subscribers with access to VOD will be able to pick up the new shows. He reports that operators are creating a new on-demand erotic thriller category as a result of New Frontier’s new product line.

Speaking of his network’s takeoff on reality TV, Boenish says, "Everybody’s heard of Fear Factor. Well, we’ve got Sex Factor."