Redtube and XVideos are two of several very large sites, which in part profit from the advertising revenue generated by "user uploads" of adult content, much of which is pirated, some of which is re-uploaded the minute it's taken down by DMCA and all of which is exploited by thousands of tube aggregators.
Redtube, for example, provides an API which lets webmasters easily and quickly set up a tube aggregation site which is populated with hundreds if not thousands of videos daily.
Further exploring the Redtube example, the site pays per view on these aggregation sites, thereby allowing webmasters to monetize the sites on which they embed videos through their API.
Redtube now provides it's affiliate program through HubTraffic.com. It's worth noting that Redtube is owned by MindGeek (Manwin).
Early in 2014 we decided to investigate how serious the threat of tube aggregation was to copyright holders and to create a paper trail of evidence that could be used in any further action against these sites.
We set up eight tube aggregation sites, each pulling video embeds from one of eight tube sites. These were set up under the Adult King Pty Ltd company in order that at some stage if it were necessary we could rely upon the information obtained in any potential action. We ran the sites as any normal webmaster running tube aggregators would run them with the exception that we did not employ any SEO or advertising of the sites, we just let them attract organic traffic.
The sites you guys have "uncovered" are tube aggregators, you found a couple of them but not all of them. As of today all eight of these sites will be redirected to the Don't Steal Porn website
Don't Steal Porn! It's bad for your health! which was established last year in collaboration with Plugrush.
It was our intention to run these sites for a full year, to extrapolate the data and then apply what we learned against the thousands of tube aggregation sites that exist and are run by some members of this forum and more particularly sites engaging in not only piracy but toolbar installs, malware payload distribution or worse.
Today we're redirecting the sites because out of the sheer hatred you have for what we are doing you will go to any lengths to derail our activities. Most of the people posting lately in this thread are not anti-piracy you are anti AdultKing, just be honest enough to admit that.
What WDF and FriendsForNow have managed to do is simply push to derail the very thing most of the adult community has been screaming about since the day our project began, to deal with the tube sites. Unfortunately you idiots are too short sighted to realise that dealing with the tubes requires solid evidence and a paper trail - one which we were happily building until you started your recent crusade.
For what it's worth, I couldn't care less what people think of me. I have set myself a task and I have been working at it day and night for more than two years, so have the volunteers, supporters and collaborators in our project without whom we would not have achieved as much as we have. Nothing the faceless, gutless, nameless trolls can say or do will cause us to discontinue our fight against piracy. We have achieved a great deal in combating piracy on behalf of this industry and will continue to do so with the support of the members of Adult IP.