Adult content and nudity are being sold openly on the media. If access is not available then the work is done by installing VPN. The demand for such content has increased so much that platforms like OnlyFans are converting attention and emotion into income. Recently the company released the financial report of 2024, in which last year’s earnings were Rs 60 thousand crores. In many cases it has left behind big companies like Google, Meta and Apple.

So let us understand in ABP Explainer what is OnlyFans, what are the ways of earning on it and how it overtook Google-Meta in earning…

Question 1- What is OnlyFans, which has overtaken Google and Apple in terms of earnings?
answer- Like Instagram and YouTube, OnlyFans is also a content platform in which creators post photos, videos and audios. However, it has 4 big differences compared to other platforms…

• OnlyFans has only a website. Its app is not available yet.
• It runs on subscription model. That means fans of the creators spend money and take subscription and watch this content.
• To use OnlyFans, creators and fans must be above 18 years of age.
• OnlyFans is especially known for NSFW (Not Safe For Work), i.e. ‘adult content that should be viewed only in a private place’.

According to the official report of OnlyFans, the company earned $ 7.2 billion i.e. about Rs 60 thousand crore in 2024, which is 9% more than last year. OnlyFans started in 2016 and since then has earned its creators around Rs 2 lakh crore. With just 46 employees, the company generates $37.6 million in revenue per employee, which is more than Nvidia ($3.6 million), Apple ($2.4 million), Meta ($2.2 million) and Google ($1.9 million).

OnlyFans started in 2016…

• In 2016, London businessman Tim Stokely started OnlyFans with 10,000 pounds from his father Guy Stokely. Initially there was a ban on adult content, but when the website did not perform well, the ban was lifted.
• In 2018, Russian-born businessman Leonid Radvinsky bought OnlyFans. Tim Stockley was the CEO of OnlyFans until December 2021.
• Indian-American businessman Amrapali Gan was the CEO from 2021 to July 2023. OnlyFans had a staff of only 12 people. Now it has 46 employees.

Question 2- How many creators are there on OnlyFans and how many Indians are included in them?
answer- 70% of the content on OnlyFans is of adult category. Adult models, sex workers and porn actresses upload their photos and videos here. However, writers, artists, fitness trainers, fashion models, musicians and chefs etc. from all over the world also have accounts on it.

There are more than 41 lakh creators on OnlyFans, including 70% women, 29% men and 1% non-binary creators. The most popular creators on OnlyFans are the US (41%), UK (20%), Canada (10%), Australia (7%), Germany (4%), India (2%) and Other (16%).

Question 3- How do creators earn from OnlyFans?
answer- All types of content are available for free on other internet sites, whereas OnlyFans charges money for it. This is not only for adult content but also for content related to music and cooking. When fans spend money and buy content, OnlyFans gives 80% of that amount directly to the creators, while keeping 20% ​​of the money as commission.

Creators on OnlyFans earn money in other ways besides subscription. For example-

• Fitness trainers charge money for giving fitness tips to their fans through personal messages. The price of these personal messages starts from Rs 400.
• Some creators use pay-per-view feature. This means that every time you want to watch their content, you have to pay a price for it.
• Some creators also raise funds, that is, they collect donations from people for one of their projects.
• Some creators give a link to their wishlist. Fans can buy any item from the creators wishlist.

Question- 4: How much do creators earn on OnlyFans?

answer: The subscription rate of creators on OnlyFans ranges from 5 dollars per month i.e. around Rs 400 to 50 dollars i.e. 4000 rupees per month. However, most of the creators on OnlyFans earn an average of only 200 dollars i.e. about 17 thousand rupees per month. At the same time, the earning of famous creators can be 1 lakh dollars i.e. around 80 lakh rupees or more.

Top earners of OnlyFans like Sophie Raine earn 43 million dollars i.e. about Rs 379 crore annually. According to Disney’s star actress Bella Thorne, she had earned twenty million dollars i.e. about Rs 17 crore from OnlyFans in the first one week. American rapper Ruby Rose had claimed that she had earned 1 million dollars i.e. about Rs 85 crore by posting her photos on OnlyFans in just 2 days.

Question 5: How does OnlyFans itself make money?

answer: OnlyFans’ direct source of income is the commission received from the earnings of its creators. OnlyFans is branded as a subscription service used in a private space.

Millions of users from all over the world use OnlyFans. On an average a user spends Rs 4,700 on OnlyFans in a year. Free content of some creators can be seen in the beginning itself. Later, money has to be spent to watch the content.

In 2019, people spent Rs 2,200 crore on OnlyFans. At the peak of Corona in 2020, OnlyFans earned Rs 18,700 crore from fans. In 2021, people spent Rs 40,800 crore on OnlyFans. Earned about Rs 56 thousand crore in 2023 and generated gross revenue of Rs 60 thousand crore in 2024.

Question-6: What arguments are given against OnlyFans?

answer: OnlyFans claims that the content of its website is private and cannot be viewed without subscription. Although this is not true.

According to media reports, many such cases have come to light in which screenshots of creators’ content or their videos were copied or recorded with the help of some tools and posted on other platforms. OnlyFans website was also hacked. In the internet world, once the content is uploaded, it has now become impossible to delete it.

OnlyFans also claims that its verification process keeps children away from it. To create an account, one has to upload a selfie. However, this is not enough. Children can easily complete the verification process of OnlyFans by uploading a picture taken from their elders, friends or the internet.

It has been told in a BBC documentary #Nudes4Sale that more than 33% of the users who advertise obscene pictures on X alone are under 18 years of age. On other social media platforms too, a large number of children sell nude photos in exchange for money and gifts.

Question 7- In which countries around the world OnlyFans is banned?
answer- 14 countries like Afghanistan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, China, Iran, Kuwait, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Dubai, Russia, Belarus and Angola have banned OnlyFans. At the same time, OnlyFans is not banned in India. Its website can be opened by anyone from phone or laptop and its content can be viewed by creating an account.

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