With “Money Shot: The Pornhub Story”, the streaming service Netflix is now dedicating a documentary to the chronicle of the biggest porn site of all time, which is as successful as it is scandal-ridden. The first trailer is here:
If you’ve never heard of Pornhub, you must be living behind the moon. With over 40 billion views a year (which equates to about 115 million visitors a day), the pornographic US provider is not only one of the most successful sites on the internet, but also the biggest porn site ever. The story behind the sensational figures, however, is not a squeaky clean one, which is hardly surprising given the industry.
Netflix has now taken on the history of Pornhub with the documentary “Money Shot: The Pornhub Story” and not only takes a look at the still flourishing phenomenon of internet pornography, but also critically examines the billion-dollar company and its procedures. You won’t have to wait much longer until you can stream “Money Shot” on Netflix: As early as March 15, 2023, the 90-minute doc will be available at the big red N.
WHY DID PORNHUB COME UNDER CRITICISM?
It is little wonder that Pornhub has been instrumental in changing the sex industry. Not only in terms of availability, but also in terms of porn’s reputation. Something that was previously taboo to the highest degree was allowed to become socially acceptable through Pornhub. Pornhub was not least responsible for porn becoming a widely accepted entertainment medium.
But the downsides weigh all the more heavily for it. Not only has Pornhub also been responsible for fuelling non-consensual sex trafficking, but in the recent past it has also been accused of distributing child pornography. In “Money Shot”, Oscar winner Alex Gibney (“Taxi to Hell”) and director Suzanne Hillinger now show how serious Pornhub’s influence is on our times – and who suffers from it (or who the beneficiaries are).
With sex workers, advocates and former employees of Pornhub all having their say, “Money Shot” could become an important part of the interesting discourse that encompasses the activist fight against pornography, but on the other hand also makes it clear that Pornhub still ensures that countless people make ends meet. We will find out how well this ultimately works on 15 March, when the documentary launches on Netflix.
