AFF Going Out of Business - what will you do?

[Idigmygirls]

According to CNet, and as many of us suspected, the AFF/Penthouse IPO that was announced earlier this week is a "Hail Mary" to try to avoid bankruptcy for their almost $450 million of debt.

It seems that they may have to pull all of their advertising, and, if they were to go bankrupt, they may be able to avoid paying out any amounts that they owe people on their affiliate programs.

If that all plays out, lots of us will have lots of ad space (and we'll be owed a ton of money). What will you do?

http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-101...orsPicksArea.0

[NaughtyRob]

The IPO will save them.

[brassmonkey]

thank god they paid me i took down all links

[Robbie]

Here is a cool quote: "We have never generated significant revenue from internet advertising and may not be able to in the future."

Hello illegitimate tube sites and all torrent sites. Those pre-paid spots are coming to an end soon. Good luck on finding advertising to replace them.

[Jarmusch]

Good news for illegal tube sites

[Barefootsies]

I will get a lot of popcorn, and watch the tube site business model crumble (if they do not survive),

...and chuckle as many many people head back to the fry cook jobs and McDonalds. Where they belonged anyway. A lot of people in adult, as well as the online game as a whole, do not have any fucking business sense what so ever.

They had no business being in business in the first place.

Anyone who thinks that giving away the store for free, in order to sell someone something is a good business practice, should rightfully so, be back at head fry cook. Which is where many are headed.

[WiredGuy]

Originally Posted by Robbie

Here is a cool quote: "We have never generated significant revenue from internet advertising and may not be able to in the future."

Hello illegitimate tube sites and all torrent sites. Those pre-paid spots are coming to an end soon. Good luck on finding advertising to replace them.

Post the whole paragraph this is in reference to:

Ad revenue of $152,356 a month for the nine months ending September 30 is skimpy. The company is hoping to change that, but acknowledges: "We have never generated significant revenue from internet advertising and may not be able to in the future."

That reference I believe is saying AFF is only making $150k/mn off advertising within their members area traffic. I don't think that's referencing to any media buying.
WG

[polish_aristocrat]

I didn't read these stories.... but... is AFF losing money? wtf?

[Violetta]

blame the tubes!

[maxjohan]

Originally Posted by polish_aristocrat

I didn't read these stories.... but... is AFF losing money? wtf?

about $30 million or so a year.

[Robbie]

Originally Posted by WiredGuy

Post the whole paragraph this is in reference to:




That reference I believe is saying AFF is only making $150k/mn off advertising within their members area traffic. I don't think that's referencing to any media buying.
WG

You could very well be right. But I don't remember there being a whole lot of advertising in their members area. I haven't been in there in a few years though.

One way or another though, I would have to assume that the huge amounts of money that they threw out to build up traffic numbers is going to have to stop.

I personally wish AFF good things. Worked with them a long, long time and made good money together. But if they have to stop the pre-paid spots to torrents and illegit tubes I won't shed a tear. And it will help AFF to become solvent again while at the same time helping to send torrents and illegit tubes down the....tubes.

[Qbert]

Originally Posted by polish_aristocrat

I didn't read these stories.... but... is AFF losing money? wtf?

Average earnings of $19.06 per member while paying $130 PPS. You do the math.

[pocketkangaroo]

Have to wonder about all those people who have revshare with their sites.

[HandballJim]

With their member base and traffic you still have value...and the IPO would do well in a bull market. With this financial mess...stocks with cures for diseases are not even jumping.

I do know when you sign up as an affiliate with cams.com you get to promote a bunch of other sites and AFF is one of them? Does anyone know which sites can be affected by this? Is Cams.com one of them? Just trying to understand the whole picture here. Thanks

[IllTestYourGirls]

Tube sites are stealing their content and causing sales to go down.

[mynameisjim]

I have a hard time believing that IPO will go through. Here are my list of problems they have.

1) The business model has yet to make much money and it's best days are clearly behind them.

2) The barrier for entry for competitors is pretty low in their market space. You would be better off starting a dating site from scratch then getting on board with all that debt just to acquire a fading brand name.

3) They advertise heavily on illegal sites that are a) filled with stolen copyrighted material and b) provide full length hardcore movies to children.

4) Then of course, it just seems like a shitty IPO. Maybe in 1997 they could of glossed over all their problems, but not today.

Anyway, I hope webmasters don't lose money but if a big part of your income comes from AFF, you should be working overtime right now to find new sponsors.

[fris]

Tube sites are gonna have to find prepaid deals elsewhere

[marketsmart]

i hope they go BK and stop paying affiliates..

it will be the ultimate fuck you to people that did business with a company that profits from theft...

[Robbie]

Originally Posted by fris

Tube sites are gonna have to find prepaid deals elsewhere

Well, right now they are making a small amount on selling traffic to brokers. But nothing like the amount of a pre-paid spot from AFF. For the moment it doesn't look good for illegit tubes and all thieving torrent sites.

[DaddyHalbucks]

Originally Posted by mynameisjim

Anyway, I hope webmasters don't lose money but if a big part of your income comes from AFF, you should be working overtime right now to find new sponsors.

A few good ones are listed here:

http://AdultDatingSponsors.com

[DamageX]

Throw a party.

[The Duck]

How the hell? I thought AFF where raking in the dough.

[AsianDivaGirlsWebDude]

OMG!!!

Check out this interesting piece from Forbes:

Here?s The Tech IPO You?ve Been Looking For: A Debt-Ridden Collection of Porn Sites And Social Networks

What kind of tech and media company tries to go public in this economy? A tech and media company with no other options.

That?s the story behind yesterday?s filing by FriendFinder Networks Inc., a collection of porn sites and adult networks that wants to raise $460 million via the public markets.

Given that the media industry is in the dumps, the tech IPO market was closed even before the economy?s collapse and that the prospects of floating any kind of offering in the public markets is dicey at best, it would be hard to find a worse time to try this route. But FriendFinder doesn?t have much choice: It has very little cash and a lot of debt.

The details: The money-losing company has $43 million in cash, and $420 million in short-term debt. Some of that debt is already in default and the company has breached loan covenants for some loans as well. Presumably the company can?t find anyone to lend it that much, so it?s hoping that the equity markets step up.

If investors bail it out, almost all of the IPO proceeds will go to paying down that debt. If not? well, that ?could have a material adverse effect on our ability to continue as a going concern.?

Anyone still thinking about helping out Daniel C. Staton and Marc H. Bell, who run the company and own more than half of its equity? Read the full registration statement here.

[UPDATE: FriendFinder investors get a bonus: Partial ownership of a $95,000 car the company bought from a founder a couple years ago for $125,000.]

Weren't these guys involved somehow in the iBill debacle?



ADG

[HandballJim]

I wonder how much $$$ they would get for their domain names at Internext Expo auction in January? Cams.com would fetch at least a million dollars in my opinion.

A friend of mine met a ton of girls on AFF and said most just wanted sex like him...but stressed all those girls were fucked up in the head.

[teomaxxx]

Originally Posted by GetNaughty

The IPO will save them.

yeah, there will be enough suckers in current enviroment willing to loose another 50% or more with the IPO in the company for which the only way how to prevent a default on loan is IPO .
good luck to AFF

[teomaxxx]

Originally Posted by teomaxxx

yeah, there will be enough suckers in current enviroment willing to loose another 50% or more with the IPO in the company for which the only way how to prevent a default on loan is IPO .
good luck to AFF

and i forgot to add:
while everyone and his gradmamma is replacing his/her aff links right now...

[TeenCat]

and why are they still offering 130pps? why dont cut it to half or so? whats the deal?

[HandballJim]

I did not hear anyone say yet they did not get paid...it sucks ass to remove and replace the codes. I am going to wait and see how this plays out...

[mineistaken]

good news, every shady sponsor supporting illegal tubes, torrents, even CP ones, stealing using zango and so on should go down. And I am not sorry for anyone promoting them and not getting paid if that happens. Karma strikes back

[tigermtb]

We don't do any business with AFF. So I won't notice

[DamageX]

Originally Posted by HandballJim

I did not hear anyone say yet they did not get paid...

YET. Wanna be the first?

[tiger]

Very interesting read.

[sortie]

Originally Posted by DamageX

YET. Wanna be the first?

Ya know, I dropped AFF way back when they had some issue.
It's been so long that I don't remember the facts about the issue.
Maybe it was a law suit; can't remember; but I decided that they were thru then
so this is no surprise now.

[Eservices2k3]

Originally Posted by marketsmart

i hope they go BK and stop paying affiliates..

it will be the ultimate fuck you to people that did business with a company that profits from theft...

Care to be a little more specific in regards to them being "a company that profits from theft"?

[GUNNER]

Originally Posted by DamageX

Throw a party.

and send AFF the bill.

I hope they go under, I hope they fucking implode... and soon.

[Iron Fist]

Originally Posted by tigermtb

We don't do any business with AFF. So I won't notice

I signed up.. sent 100 hits... never looked back. Fuck em they suck.

[KillerK]

Originally Posted by Robbie

Here is a cool quote: "We have never generated significant revenue from internet advertising and may not be able to in the future."

Hello illegitimate tube sites and all torrent sites. Those pre-paid spots are coming to an end soon. Good luck on finding advertising to replace them.

Too bad the spots on the torrents aren't prepaid.

[Hank_Heartland]

This is starting to sound like a 'take the money and run' IPO to me

[Hank_Heartland]

Originally Posted by GUNNER

and send AFF the bill.

I hope they go under, I hope they fucking implode... and soon.

Damn Gunner, you sound hostile today

[GUNNER]

Originally Posted by Hank_Heartland

Damn Gunner, you sound hostile today

yea, had some bad news right around the holiday so I'm grumpy.

although, even in a good mood I don't like them. IMO, w/o their financial support of the illegal piracy/tube sites, that stuff wouldn't be nearly as big as it is. Hopefully they're soon Absolutely Fucking Finished


on another note, Hank I hope you're doing well and enjoying that winter wonderland.
It was sunny and 60 today in LA

[SomeCreep]

Everyone is overlooking the obvious here. Myspace.com and other free social networking sites are killing paid dating sites. It's just a matter of time before all paid dating sites lose so much of their market share, they're no longer relevant players in the dating game.

[HomerSimpson]

Originally Posted by Barefootsies

I will get a lot of popcorn, and watch the tube site business model crumble

same here...

[HomerSimpson]

Originally Posted by SomeCreep

Everyone is overlooking the obvious here. Myspace.com and other free social networking sites are killing paid dating sites. It's just a matter of time before all paid dating sites lose so much of their market share, they're no longer relevant players in the dating game.

yeah but MySpace is not Adult dating site for people looking for sex partners than rather friend social network, just as FB so there is still room for adult dating sites...

[Aussie Rebel]

AFF Going Out of Business - what will you do?

Personally I will laugh my fucking ass off

[tony286]

Originally Posted by SomeCreep

Everyone is overlooking the obvious here. Myspace.com and other free social networking sites are killing paid dating sites. It's just a matter of time before all paid dating sites lose so much of their market share, they're no longer relevant players in the dating game.

yep http://www.businessweek.com/technolo...120_688300.htm

[Hank_Heartland]

Originally Posted by GUNNER

yea, had some bad news right around the holiday so I'm grumpy.

although, even in a good mood I don't like them. IMO, w/o their financial support of the illegal piracy/tube sites, that stuff wouldn't be nearly as big as it is. Hopefully they're soon Absolutely Fucking Finished


on another note, Hank I hope you're doing well and enjoying that winter wonderland.
It was sunny and 60 today in LA

And it's raining and 60 here today...but the snow is melting and there's water everywhere

Other than that...I'm OK

[jakethedog]

This was expected .. I am glad ..and it feels to me like Santa just dropped me off one quick present before heading back up north for the year .. YAAAAA

[Machete_]

Originally Posted by Eservices2k3

Care to be a little more specific in regards to them being "a company that profits from theft"?

1 - fake profiles with model content they haven't paid for tricks people to sign up
2 - They allow torrent, warez and stolen member area sites to send them traffic

[crockett]

Originally Posted by HandballJim

I did not hear anyone say yet they did not get paid...it sucks ass to remove and replace the codes. I am going to wait and see how this plays out...

Well lets just hope you aren't the first one whom makes tht post..



Anyway I won't have to do a thing if they go out of business because I wouldn't promote them because of their support of tubes,torrents and all the other BS that hurts my profits.

I'd say good riddance if they go under, but that's just my opinion.

[Aussie Rebel]

Originally Posted by ebus_dk

2 - They allow torrent, warez and stolen member area sites to send them traffic

And those same sites are raping there danni.com site and posting full site rips, They need to control there pirates better