AFI BLOG: Media and Technology

The Hollywood Reporter

Focus on adult-oriented, alternative, subversive content

The creators of HBO’s “Taxicab Confessions” have relaunched the video site CrushedPlanet.com with a focus on subversive, alternative and adult-oriented content.

Curated by Joe and Harry Gantz, the site features 15 channels with videos covering sexuality, relationships, the environment and other topics told through comedy, animation and documentary genres.

“We’re taking our cue from the way HBO and Showtime started,” Harry Gantz said. “People are willing to pay for high-end, high-quality content.”

The brothers first launched CrushedPlanet as a video site in 1999 but closed it after two years because not enough people had access to broadband. They planned to relaunch last year, but because of technical difficulties, the launch of the site was delayed until last week.

Eschewing the traditional ad-supported online video model, CrushedPlanet will make revenue through merchandising its channel brands or charging a monthly subscription or pay-per-view fee. Pricing ranges from $9.95 for a monthly subscription to $99.95 for a yearly one, or $0.99-$3.99 for a single video, depending on length.

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