OnlyFans — the subscription-based platform that provides a direct link between adult content creators and customers — has begun promoting its first app, but says the NSFW content that the platform has become known for will be taking a back seat for now.
Now available on all the major devices, including iOS, Roku, and Amazon Fire, OFTV’s content will be free to stream and will comprise a library of more than 800 videos, which includes original series from creators such as Mia Khalifa, Bella Thorne, and Holly Madison. Unlike the brand’s flagship offering, which has become synonymous with adult content, the app will allegedly exclusively feature nudity-free videos, including content from fitness instructors, chefs, musicians, comedians, and podcasters.
“OFTV provides a super convenient way for fans to watch content from favourite creators,” Tim Stokely, OnlyFans founder and CEO, told Bloomberg recently. “There’s no adult content on OFTV. Because it’s not being monetized and there’s no direct impact on creators’ earnings, we are able to be in the app store.”
Although the app initially launched in January, OnlyFans has only recently begun to promote it as a way to link non-pornographic creators to new audiences. According to Bloomberg, the app was created as part of a strategic play to help the company “shed its reputation as a purveyor of pornography and rebrand itself as a vital tool for all online creators.”
“From the onset of launching OnlyFans, we have been a creator-first platform to give creators further autonomy and power over their content,” Stokely said. “We’re all about giving creators more opportunities to get their content out there and more ways for our community to access it.”
As membership platforms like Patreon and Substack have revolutionised the way creators connect with fans — and particularly during a pandemic that has forced everyone inside and strengthened the allure of direct monetisation models — OnlyFans has undoubtedly been thinking about all of the money it’s leaving on the table by focusing exclusively on adult content. By expanding its offerings, the platform will simultaneously allow new creators to market themselves within the app while also diversifying its reach to capture new audiences.
“People who have come on to OFTV to watch one video may go on to choose another,” Stokely told Bloomberg. “It’s a wider audience, and perhaps a slightly different audience.”