The adult entertainment industry has been an unerring forecaster of new trends in consumer technology for the past 25 years and it is pointing toward a convergence of your television, cell phone and personal computer, according to Paul Fishbein, chairman and co-founder of Adult Video News, the adult industry's leading trade journal.

Speaking on the publication of AVN's 25th anniversary issue, Mr. Fishbein noted, "Adult entertainment has been a good barometer of consumer technology. The industry pioneered in making the video tape recorder popular for consumer uses. As adult VHS sales declined DVD sales increased, and the same pattern was repeated in the mainstream.

"As DVDs have begun their decline," Fishbein continued, "Adult VOD, mobile and Internet usage is increasing dramatically, and the same thing is now happening in the mainstream. Keep your eye on adult to see how the convergence of television, mobile devices and the personal computer plays out – the industry will be the weathervane."

Looking back over the past quarter century Fishbein concluded, "Size does matter! That's clearly one of the messages of the past 25 years of modern porn. When AVN started in 1983 we reviewed 15 new features each month, and today we review up to 8,000 titles a year out of the more than 12,000 that are produced. That's an increase of more than thirteen thousand percent!"

Mr. Fishbein said the adult entertainment business has grown "from sleazy peep shows and dark alley raincoat theaters to Main Street and Wall Street. Today, the industry operates real businesses with superb marketing, excellent production techniques and multiple mainstream distribution channels. Stocks of several adult companies are traded on NASDAQ and the New York Stock Exchange and the adult stars can get as many Internet hits as any mainstream actress."

"From the beginning porn has been a 'content' business – people watch it for a very specific reason," Mr. Fishbein said. "The ultimate objective of the content remains the same today as it was 25 years ago, but it is a lot more professionally packaged and beautifully delivered, and that has contributed to its emergence as another mainstream entertainment sector."

Mr. Fishbein said that adult film studios have been among the principal drivers of technology change in the United States and globally. "Porn power has had an enormous impact on the technologies everyone takes for granted today. The adult industry has been the undisputed leader in popularizing technologies such as VHS, DVD, VOD and others. We also have helped bring down the prices."

The AVN anniversary issue spotlights "25 Years of Adult Video: The Movers, The Movies, The Milestones." It reveals the behind-the-scenes events that have led to its current status as a pop cultural phenomenon close to the mainstream of American entertainment.

The issue covers crucial aspects of that transformation, from AVN award-winning movies and sex scenes to events that altered the industry and America's perception of it. It highlights the people who built adult video, its studios, distribution outlets and retail empires, as well as the artists—both straight and gay—who created the product, as well as those who struggled to assert the right to market adult content free of government interference.

To view the 25th anniversary digital issue, visit avnmedianetwork.com/magazine/.

ABOUT AVN MEDIA NETWORK

AVN Media Network is the global leader in the adult entertainment community. AVN's portfolio of business units include the widely recognized industry trade journals (Adult Video News, GayVN, AVN Online, AVN Novelty Business); the leading adult-oriented conventions (Internext, Erotica LA, Adult Novelty Expo, and Adult Entertainment Expo), and the most dynamic digital media (avn.com, avnlive.com, avnmedianetwork.com, and others). In addition, electronic newsletters and digital versions of the publications are published. AVN Media Network also hosts the annual GAYVN Awards and GAYVN Summit.

The AVN Awards Show is dedicated to recognizing the outstanding products and talented individuals which have contributed to the advancement of the adult entertainment industry. AVN Award recipients are determined by a vote of qualified industry peers and fellow professionals. The integrity of this process, together with a broad-based voting population, makes the AVN Awards Show the most credible, respected and recognized awards in adult entertainment.

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