Latest news with #ForestRoad
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
OnlyFans could soon be sold for billions of dollars, report says
OnlyFans, a website that's been called the future of sex work, could soon be sold to L.A. investment firm Forest Road Company, according to a report in Reuters, at a valuation of $8 billion. The company, which sells subscriptions enabling parasocial online relationships with celebrities and sex workers, is currently owned by London tech company Fenix International, the sole proprietorship of American internet entrepreneur Leonid Radvinsky, who bought OnlyFans in 2019. Since 2022, he has paid himself $1 billion in dividends. The company has 40 employees. Earlier this week, the New York Post reported that Radvinsky was having difficulty finding a buyer because of OnlyFans' association with porn—which can lead to problems with payment processors, like when Visa (V) and Mastercard (MA) cut themselves off from Pornhub in 2020. Pension plans and other investors often don't want to be associated with adult content. There's also the high risk of such sites hosting non-consensual porn, content made by human traffickers, and child sex abuse, as outlined in a 2024 Reuters series. Apple (AAPL) and Google's (GOOGL) app stores won't carry OnlyFans, which exists only as a website. That hasn't stopped its runaway success. Forest Road and OnlyFans did not comment to Reuters, which reported that Fenix is also entertaining other suitors, as well as the idea of an IPO. OnlyFans was founded in Britain in 2016 and exploded in popularity during Covid lockdowns. It's a platform for creators to sell tiered subscriptions offering various levels of access, including pictures and videos. The company takes 20% of earnings; creators keep the rest. In 2023, it brought in $6.6 billion in revenue. That's up considerably from $375 million just five years ago, in 2020, when it became mainstream. The company says it has 300 million subscribers following four million creators. Not all of them are sex workers. Shortly after OnlyFans banned and then reinstated porn in the space of one week in 2021, the company recruited fitness coaches, makeup artists, wellness practitioners, and others in an attempt to broaden its base and make it more respectable. Two teachers in Missouri were caught using it to supplement their income in 2023; one of them resigned. During the 2024 Summer Olympics, some athletes started signing up for the site, and in doing so highlighted the underfunding of amateur sports. Celebrities on the site include singer Lily Allen, who posts pictures of her feet; she says she makes more money from that than she does from music streaming. Sopranos star Drea DeMatteo is also a user, as was, briefly, rapper Cardi B. Forest Road began as an investment firm focusing on tax credits for independent film; its Vertical Entertainment division has had recent critical hits including Emily the Criminal, starring Aubrey Plaza, and Lee, starring Kate Winslet. In 2020, it branched into renewable energy. 'We are not your average investment firm,' reads the large text on the homepage of Forest Road Company. 'We embrace complexity and creativity to extract value where others see limitations.' For the latest news, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
OnlyFans' Ukrainian owner plots £6bn sale of adult site
OnlyFans, the British website that allows people to cash in on adult photos and videos, is in talks to sell itself for $8bn (£6bn) to an investment company connected to former Disney executives. Fenix International, the holding company that owns OnlyFans, is in talks with a consortium led by the Forest Road Company, a Los Angeles-based investment firm that counts former senior Disney executive Kevin Mayer as a board member. Negotiations have been taking place since at least March and it is understood that a deal for the porn, fitness and cooking platform could be signed within two weeks, Reuters reported. A sale would represent a significant windfall for Ukrainian-American porn baron Leonid Radvinsky, who bought OnlyFans for an undisclosed sum from its British founders in 2018. Companies House records list Mr Radvinsky as Fenix's sole shareholder, although the company describes him as its 'majority' owner. OnlyFans positions itself as a broad church of online influencers selling fitness, cooking and lifestyle videos, but is best known for a porn empire of millions of self-employed adult stars. The company was set up by Essex entrepreneur Tim Stokely with financing from his father Guy, a former investment banker. The negotiations come three years after Forest Road previously sought to take over the entertainment website through a so-called blank cheque company that had raised $350m from Wall Street. The shell company was managed by a group of former Disney executives including ex-finance chief Thomas Staggs. Axios reported that it walked away with concerns about OnlyFans' pornographic focus. Forest Road provides financing to the television and film industry, with clients including ITV and Netflix, and owns an indie film distributor. It has also invested in a Formula E racing team and clean power projects. Sources told Reuters that OnlyFans was also in talks with other potential suitors. A stock market flotation is also being considered, sources claimed. However, the adult content on the site is understood to make OnlyFans untouchable for many big banks and investors. The potential payday for Mr Radvinsky, 42, comes on top of £1bn in dividends from OnlyFans he has banked over the past five years. The company has rapidly grown under Mr Radvinsky's ownership. Its revenue rose by 20pc in 2023 to $1.3bn. That was up from $375m in 2020. Mr Radinsky, who was born in the southern Ukrainian city of Odesa but moved to the US as a child, keeps a low profile although he is understood to live in Florida. He currently runs a venture capital fund that supports technology start-ups. However, the economics graduate is best known for setting up a string of pornography-related websites, including the streaming website MyFreeCams. That site, where adult models broadcast themselves stripping in exchange for tips from viewers, became one of the most visited sites on the internet. Forest Road declined to comment. OnlyFans was approached for comment. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
RTÉ News
23-05-2025
- Business
- RTÉ News
OnlyFans owner in talks to sell to investor group at about $8 billion value
OnlyFans owner Fenix International Ltd is in talks to sell the porn-driven company to an investor group at a valuation of around $8 billion, three sources familiar with the matter told Reuters. The group is led by the Forest Road Company, a Los Angeles-based investment firm, the sources said. Reuters could not identify the investors in the group. The investor group and current deal value have not previously been reported. OnlyFans, which exploded in popularity during the Covid-19 pandemic, is best known as an online platform that enables porn creators to charge subscribers for content. OnlyFans takes 20% of creators' earnings. In the year ended November 2023, the company generated $6.6 billion in revenue, according to a filing with British regulators. That is up from $375m in 2020, and this rapid growth has attracted investor interest. Some executives at Forest Road were part of a special purpose acquisition company that was in talks to take OnlyFans public in 2022, according to sources and filings with the US Securities and Exchange Commission. OnlyFans and Forest Road declined to comment. One of the three sources and another source familiar with sale discussions said Fenix International Ltd is also in talks with other potential suitors. The London-based company has drawn interest from several suitors in recent months. Talks have been held at least since March, the people said. Three sources said a deal could be reached in the next week or two. The sources also cautioned that there was no certainty a deal will be struck and requested anonymity ahead of an official announcement. An initial public offering is also being considered, three of the sources said. The company's sole shareholder is Leonid Radvinsky, a Ukrainian American whose location could not be confirmed. He bought OnlyFans in 2018 and has paid himself at least $1 billion in dividends over the past three years, British filings showed. Last year, Reuters published a series of investigative stories on OnlyFans that documented complaints in US police and court records that child sexual abuse material and nonconsensual pornography has appeared on the site since 2019. The series also identified cases of sex traffickers using the platform to abuse and exploit women. Porn makes OnlyFans untouchable for many big banks and investors, sources have told Reuters, because due diligence might find illegal content such as child sexual abuse material, trafficking victims and nonconsensual porn. The New York Post reported on Wednesday the company was exploring a potential sale. Founded in 2017, Forest Road is an investment firm interested in media, renewable energy and digital assets, according to its website. Its ventures have included a Formula E racing team and it in 2024 expanded its advisory business by acquiring a majority stake in ACF Investment Bank.
The Sun
23-05-2025
- Business
- The Sun
OnlyFans owner eyes US$8b deal with investors
LONDON: OnlyFans owner Fenix International Ltd is in talks to sell the adult entertainment platform to an investor group at a valuation of around US$8 billion (RM34 billion), three sources familiar with the matter told Reuters. The group is led by the Forest Road Company, a Los Angeles-based investment firm, the sources said. Reuters could not identify the investors in the group. The investor group and current deal value have not previously been reported. OnlyFans, which exploded in popularity during the Covid-19 pandemic, is best known as an online platform that allows adult content creators to charge subscribers for content. OnlyFans takes 20% of creators' earnings. In the year ended November 2023, the company generated US$6.6 billion in revenue, according to a filing with British regulators. That is up from US$375 million in 2020, and this rapid growth has attracted investor interest. Some executives at Forest Road were part of a special purpose acquisition company that was in talks to take OnlyFans public in 2022, according to sources and filings with the US Securities and Exchange Commission. OnlyFans and Forest Road declined to comment. One of the three sources and another source familiar with sale discussions said Fenix International Ltd is also in talks with other potential suitors. The London-based company has drawn interest from several suitors in recent months. Talks have been held at least since March, the people said. Three sources said a deal could be reached in the next week or two. The sources also cautioned that there was no certainty a deal will be struck and requested anonymity ahead of an official announcement. An initial public offering is also being considered, three of the sources said. The company's sole shareholder is Leonid Radvinsky, a Ukrainian American whose location could not be confirmed. He bought OnlyFans in 2018 and has paid himself at least US$1 billion in dividends over the past three years, British filings showed. Last year, Reuters published a series of investigative stories on OnlyFans that documented complaints in US police and court records that child sexual abuse material and nonconsensual explicit content has appeared on the site since 2019. The series also identified cases of sex traffickers using the platform to abuse and exploit women. Adult content makes OnlyFans untouchable for many big banks and investors, sources have told Reuters, because due diligence might find illegal content such as child sexual abuse material, trafficking victims and nonconsensual explicit content. The New York Post reported on Wednesday the company was exploring a potential sale. Founded in 2017, Forest Road is an investment firm interested in media, renewable energy and digital assets, according to its website. Its ventures have included a Formula E racing team and in 2024 expanded its advisory business by acquiring a majority stake in ACF Investment Bank. – Reuters
Business Times
23-05-2025
- Business
- Business Times
OnlyFans owner in talks to sell to investor group at about US$8 billion value: sources
[LOS ANGELES] OnlyFans owner Fenix International is in talks to sell the porn-driven company to an investor group at a valuation of around US$8 billion, three sources familiar with the matter told Reuters. The group is led by the Forest Road Company, a Los Angeles-based investment firm, the sources said. Reuters could not identify the investors in the group. The investor group and current deal value have not previously been reported. OnlyFans, which exploded in popularity during the Covid-19 pandemic, is best known as an online platform that enables porn creators to charge subscribers for content. OnlyFans takes 20% of creators' earnings. In the year ended November 2023, the company generated US$6.6 billion in revenue, according to a filing with British regulators. That is up from US$375 million in 2020, and this rapid growth has attracted investor interest. Some executives at Forest Road were part of a special purpose acquisition company that was in talks to take OnlyFans public in 2022, according to sources and filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. OnlyFans and Forest Road declined to comment. One of the three sources and another source familiar with sale discussions said Fenix Internationa is also in talks with other potential suitors. The London-based company has drawn interest from several suitors in recent months. BT in your inbox Start and end each day with the latest news stories and analyses delivered straight to your inbox. Sign Up Sign Up Talks have been held at least since March, the people said. Three sources said a deal could be reached in the next week or two. The sources also cautioned that there was no certainty a deal will be struck and requested anonymity ahead of an official announcement. An initial public offering is also being considered, three of the sources said. The company's sole shareholder is Leonid Radvinsky, a Ukrainian American whose location could not be confirmed. He bought OnlyFans in 2018 and has paid himself at least US$1 billion in dividends over the past three years, British filings showed. Last year, Reuters published a series of investigative stories on OnlyFans that documented complaints in US police and court records that child sexual abuse material and nonconsensual pornography has appeared on the site since 2019. The series also identified cases of sex traffickers using the platform to abuse and exploit women. Porn makes OnlyFans untouchable for many big banks and investors, sources have told Reuters, because due diligence might find illegal content such as child sexual abuse material, trafficking victims and nonconsensual porn. The New York Post reported on Wednesday the company was exploring a potential sale. Founded in 2017, Forest Road is an investment firm interested in media, renewable energy and digital assets, according to its website. Its ventures have included a Formula E racing team and it in 2024 expanded its advisory business by acquiring a majority stake in ACF Investment Bank. REUTERS
