Talks are ongoing between Leonid Radvinsky, the billionaire owner of OnlyFans, and a group of investors from the United States who may be interested in buying the platform.Â
These discussions involve Forest Road Co, a US-based investment firm, but are not exclusive to them.
While the platform could be sold for as much as $8 billion, no fixed timeline has been shared for when the deal might happen.
OnlyFans, created in 2016 by Tim Stokely, quickly became known for allowing creators mostly those who post adult content to earn money directly from their subscribers.
In 2018, Radvinsky took over the company, bringing with him experience from running another adult-focused platform.
Since then, OnlyFans has grown rapidly, using a business model that depends on paid subscriptions rather than advertising.
As of the end of 2023, the platform had over 4.1 million creators and more than 300 million registered users.
According to financial records, OnlyFans earned $6.63 billion in gross revenue for the year, while its net revenue reached $1.31 billion.
The company pays 80 percent of subscription earnings to creators and keeps the remaining 20 percent.
It also recorded a pre-tax profit of $658 million during the same period.
Despite being valued at $8 billion, reports revealed that Radvinsky has been open to offers much lower between $1.46 billion and $2.42 billion due to challenges in finding buyers who are comfortable with the nature of the platform.
Its reputation for adult content has made it harder for the company to attract buyers aiming for broader business appeal.
OnlyFans has taken steps in recent years to broaden its image and attract other types of creators.
It introduced a video service called OFTV that offers content suitable for all audiences.
The platform also put in place strict ID checks and a search system that makes it harder to access adult content quickly.
Back in 2021, the company faced backlash when it planned to ban explicit content.
That decision was later reversed after strong reactions from creators.
Since then, OnlyFans has tried to balance its core base with efforts to appeal to new users who post other kinds of content.
The company is owned by Fenix International, a firm based in London, with Radvinsky as its only listed shareholder.
