Over the last year, Virtual Reality has been one of the fastest growing categories of videos on Pornhub. Originally launched in the Spring of 2016, Pornhub’s VR content included just 30 videos. Since then, hundreds of new VR videos have been uploaded each month, bringing the total to over 2600 videos by May of 2017. Forbes inquired to see how far VR had penetrated into the daily usage of Pornhub users.
With the increased popularity and accessibility of VR capable devices, VR porn videos are now being watched 500,000 times each day. Compared to other categories, VR visitors typically watch 2 more videos each time they visit Pornhub (11 pages per visit compared to the average 9), while their actual time on site remains about the same at just under 10 minutes. Perhaps the unique visual experience makes them want to test out more new content.
Men are proportionately 160% more likely to watch VR content than women, and the 25 to 34 year old age group is 47% more likely to watch compared to all other age groups. When looking for Virtual Reality videos, visitors are most likely to search for “VR”, followed by “360 VR” and “360 Degree”.
Immediately after launching, views of VR videos began to average around 200,000 per day. They further increased in the fall of 2016 and then tripled on Christmas Day! VR devices were a popular holiday gift, and it seems that porn was one of the first things people wanted to try out with their new headsets. After the New Year, average daily views remained much higher than the pre-Christmas levels at around half a million per day.
Over the last 12 months, VR viewership has increased in every part of the United States, but the largest growth in popularity has occurred in Eastern states including New Hampshire, Vermont, Rhode Island and New Jersey. While California still accounts for the most VR video views each day, the growth rate in popularity has been much slower.
Compared to other countries, VR remains proportionately more popular in countries like Thailand, Hong Kong, the Philippines and Taiwan.
Over the last 12 months, the highest rate of growth in VR popularity has occurred in Ireland and the United Kingdom, by nearly 250%.
Since launching the VR category and video player, feedback from Pornhub’s users has been nothing but positive. We look forward to bringing more new innovations and immersive experiences to online adult entertainment.