OnlyFans explores majority sale in $5.5 billion deal talks
The UK-based creator platform is in exclusive negotiations with a US investment firm, marking the latest attempt by its owner to partially exit the business.
OnlyFans is considering selling a majority stake in its business to the investment firm Architect Capital, according to TechCrunch, citing a source familiar with the discussions.
The proposed transaction would value the platform at $5.5 billion, reflecting its scale as one of the most lucrative creator marketplaces on the internet.
Under the outline terms, $3.5 billion of the valuation would be equity and $2 billion would be debt, with Architect Capital taking a 60% ownership stake.
The two parties are said to be operating under an exclusivity agreement, preventing OnlyFans from engaging with rival bidders for a defined period.
No timetable for completing the deal has been disclosed, according to TechCrunch.
The talks were first reported by The Wall Street Journal, and follow a series of earlier attempts to explore a sale.
Last year, reports suggested that the site’s billionaire owner, Leonid Radvinsky, was seeking to cash out part of his holding.
Those efforts included discussions involving the platform’s parent company, Fenix International Ltd., and a US investor group led by Forest Road Company.
OnlyFans, founded in 2016 by Tim Stokely, has long argued that it is not a pornography business, despite adult content accounting for most creator revenue.
The company has also faced legal scrutiny in recent years, including lawsuits alleging it profited from abusive material, adding complexity to any potential sale.
