The Pornhub Empire

May 16 2024 5 ep. 24 mins 69
The Pornhub Empire Podcast artwork

With about 100 million visits per day, Pornhub is one of the biggest websites on the planet. This four-part series pulls back the curtain on the scrappy, Montreal-based startup that revolutionized sex on the internet — and the massive scandal that exposed its dark side. Hosted by journalist Samantha Cole.

  Society & Culture
RSS feed Share
Copy RSS


Subscribe on Podcast Addict


Episode 1: Free porn for everyone

May 16 2024 27 mins  
How did a handful of competitive foosball players in Montreal create the world’s largest online pornsite? And what do a picturesque Dutch cabin, thousands of pornographic VHS tapes, and the subprime mortgage crisis have to do with it?Full transcript here.

Episode 2: Pornhub goes mainstream

May 16 2024 23 mins  
Not only did PornHub become a massive moneymaker, it also helped push porn into the spotlight by using data, clever PR, and the power of celebrity. How did Pornhub make itself a household name?Full transcript here.

Episode 3: Pornhub’s disgrace

May 16 2024 32 mins  
Jane was coerced into making a pornographic film, and told it would never be shared online. Then, it was posted on Pornhub, over and over again. How did a scandal involving the hosting of sexual abuse material seriously damage the lives of many and nearly destroy the company?Full transcript here.

Episode 4: Cleanup crew

May 16 2024 39 mins  
New name, new owners, new rules. Can Pornhub rebuild its reputation and remain one of the world’s biggest porn sites? Or will the company be disrupted out of business by a new crop of online porn entrepreneurs…Full transcript here.

Introducing: The Pornhub Empire

May 15 2024 2 mins  
Pornhub — that site you only access on your browser’s incognito mode? It gets way more views than Netflix. But because of the sheepishness and stigma around porn, it’s treated as if it’s fringe, instead of what it really is: one of Canada’s largest cultural exports.In The Pornhub Empire, hear the story of how a Montreal-founded company came to dominate the adult industry