Pornhub, Brazzers parent changes its name to get a fresh start

One of the leading porn websites, Pornhub, is seeing some changes to its parent company, MindGeek. It is getting a new name: Aylo. According to the company, the new name represents “a fresh start to embrace innovation, diverse and inclusive adult content, and trust and safety.” In addition to Pornhub, MindGeek, now Aylo, owns other adult entertaiment platforms, such as Brazzers, Trans Angels, Men.com, and Nutaku. The rebrand comes as MindGeek’s new owners, Ethical Capital Partners (ECP) tries to align the brand’s name with the employees’ values and aspirations.

Set to be implemented across all company communications, marketing materials, and digital platforms, the new brand identity was one of the demands by the company’s people who “voiced their concerns and expressed the desire for a name that truly represents them and allows the company to re-focus its efforts to lead by example, through transparency and public engagement.”

Will the rebrand help get rid of past problems?

Last year, MindGeek’s chief executive officer Feras Antoon and chief operating officer David Tassillo stepped down, followed by a takeover by ECP. Under the new ownership and with the rebrand, the company is trying to shrug off the past controversies. MindGeek has previously faced moderation issues, including the presence of child sexual abuse videos on its adult websites. The issue was severe at a time, so much so that Visa and Mastercard discontinued their payment services on Pornhub in 2020 owing to the lack of moderation for “unlawful content” on the website.

Alongside a revamp, which will likely not affect individual websites, Aylo is also blocking access to its platforms in US states that have a law against them in place. The company also thinks that an image makeover will help it show its dedication to being a global leading tech platform that empowers hundreds of thousands of creators to earn a living, that employs innovative employees, and that provides hundreds of millions of users worldwide with safe content.

The company also said that Aylo does not mean anything. There is no such word in any dictionary — at least not yet.