Ok, this list from Mike South Is Pretty Good. But I Don't Think It's Perfect. Names I Would Add Include: Eddie W., Mark Carrierre, Legend Video and to a degree Adam & Eve.
What do you think?
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Courtesy of www.SetGo.com and www.MikeSouth.com
From www.mikesouth.com:

10.. John Stagliano Owner Evil Angel.

9. Frank Koretski Owner Pleasure/IVD

8. David Sturman Owner Sin City/GVA

7. Steve Hirsch, Owner Vivid

6. Tim Connelly, Editor/Publisher AVN

5. Beate Rotermund family, Owner Beate Uhse

4. Charles Prast, CEO Milcap Ltd

3. Larry Flynt, Owner LFP

2. Paul Fishbein, Owner AVN

1. Berth Milton Jr., Majority Owner Milcap Ltd. ( They are a public company)

DUC says: I agree with Mike's list more than I do with Arena's. I would put Larry Flynt at number one. I would not put Tim Connelly in the top ten. Paul Fishbein, yes.

Mike South writes: No way. Private is a way bigger than LFP. Milcap could buy LFP with their pocket change. Private is, according to WSJ, Forbes and others the largest adult media
conglomerate in the world. Indeed I believe this to be correct. Milcap is a pretty tightly run organization based out of Spain.

Not that Flynt isnt rich, he is but in porn terms Private could make you very rich a lot faster than Larry.

I don't see how the Editor of AVN makes the top ten either...what kind of power does he have? Naming who gets nominated for an AVN award and what movies get Editor's Choice spots in the magazine...

Granted, that position had A LOT of power prior to the Internet, since AVN could basically make or break performers or studios, but with SO MANY good adult reviewers out there and so many sites where people can go to find out about new performers and studios (including this one), AVN magazine is more of an industry staple than something that has any real power over the industry.

I do think Flynt should be number one. I don't think the President of Pleasure/IVD should be that high up on the list...there seem to be some other studios/distributors with far more power than Pleasure/IVD - at least currently.

As for some of the foreign studio names...not too familar with those guys, so some of the industry people that comment here will be able to better state what kind of power those guys have.

Private may be bigger and richer, but that was not the question. The question was "Top 10 Most Powerful"
Larry is #1

Dick Nasty in the original Arean list? You have to be kidding! Might as well put Regan Senter too!