Size matters in pornography, except when it comes to tiny mobile phone screens, the next frontier for erotica.
If the adult entertainment industry has its way, Americans will soon get a choice of free porn on cell phones -- or at least some photographs of good-looking girls in bikinis.
Unlike in Europe, mobile porn has yet to take off in North America as carriers have been afraid of offending political and religious groups and parents concerned about children being exposed to adult content. That may change this year as phone companies plan to loosen control on their networks to allow a wider variety of gadgets and services, while intro
ducing new tools to shield minors.
More advanced phones with better web-browsers like Apple Inc's iPhone also offer higher quality pictures and video.
"It will be impossible to stop the adult business exploitation of mobile entertainment," said Gregory Piccionelli, a lawyer specialising in adult entertainment at law firm Piccionelli & Sarno. He predicted that US consumers may soon be offered free porn on mobile phones alongside paid services like live video or "adult dates," a term for prearranged sex with strangers.
A conference being held in Miami, Florida, this week is devoted to discussing mobile opportunities as the porn industry seeks to find a new driver of growth.
A surfeit of free online porn sites has cut into profits that have so far come mainly from DVDs, videotapes and pay-per-view or subscription-based websites.
To survive, adult entertainers need to be on top of phone trends, said Jay Grdina, president of adult entertainment provider ClubJenna Inc, which he co-founded with his wife, world-famous porn star Jenna Jameson.
"If you don't evolve you're going to die. We need to make sure we're ready," Grdina said in an interview before his keynote speech at this week's Mobile Adult Content Congress, where adult entertainment and technology companies are brainstorming over how to make mobile porn a viable business.
Popular video-sharing site YouTube.com's plan to expand to about 100 million advanced cell phones may help the cause, even if it means some ClubJenna content -- which includes everything from glamour photographs of scantily clad models to hardcore videos -- is seen for free on phones. ClubJenna was sold to Playboy Enterprises Inc in 2006.
"It's a double-edged sword. On the one hand, it's giving away content. On the other hand, it's expanding the brand," said Grdina, adding that ClubJenna needs a boost in the US market, where it generates "pretty much zero" mobile revenue compared with "very healthy" revenue in Europe.
While he has had trouble winning deals with U.S. phone operators so far, Grdina hopes for a deal within 18 months to sell photographs of bikini-clad models without nudity.
If the adult entertainment industry has its way, Americans will soon get a choice of free porn on cell phones -- or at least some photographs of good-looking girls in bikinis.
Unlike in Europe, mobile porn has yet to take off in North America as carriers have been afraid of offending political and religious groups and parents concerned about children being exposed to adult content. That may change this year as phone companies plan to loosen control on their networks to allow a wider variety of gadgets and services, while intro
ducing new tools to shield minors.More advanced phones with better web-browsers like Apple Inc's iPhone also offer higher quality pictures and video.
"It will be impossible to stop the adult business exploitation of mobile entertainment," said Gregory Piccionelli, a lawyer specialising in adult entertainment at law firm Piccionelli & Sarno. He predicted that US consumers may soon be offered free porn on mobile phones alongside paid services like live video or "adult dates," a term for prearranged sex with strangers.
A conference being held in Miami, Florida, this week is devoted to discussing mobile opportunities as the porn industry seeks to find a new driver of growth.
A surfeit of free online porn sites has cut into profits that have so far come mainly from DVDs, videotapes and pay-per-view or subscription-based websites.
To survive, adult entertainers need to be on top of phone trends, said Jay Grdina, president of adult entertainment provider ClubJenna Inc, which he co-founded with his wife, world-famous porn star Jenna Jameson.
"If you don't evolve you're going to die. We need to make sure we're ready," Grdina said in an interview before his keynote speech at this week's Mobile Adult Content Congress, where adult entertainment and technology companies are brainstorming over how to make mobile porn a viable business.
Popular video-sharing site YouTube.com's plan to expand to about 100 million advanced cell phones may help the cause, even if it means some ClubJenna content -- which includes everything from glamour photographs of scantily clad models to hardcore videos -- is seen for free on phones. ClubJenna was sold to Playboy Enterprises Inc in 2006.
"It's a double-edged sword. On the one hand, it's giving away content. On the other hand, it's expanding the brand," said Grdina, adding that ClubJenna needs a boost in the US market, where it generates "pretty much zero" mobile revenue compared with "very healthy" revenue in Europe.
While he has had trouble winning deals with U.S. phone operators so far, Grdina hopes for a deal within 18 months to sell photographs of bikini-clad models without nudity.