Is enforced sign-up a new trend? Such a practice is a throwback to the days when porn sites entice you with great pictures at the front with possibly poor quali

Is enforced sign-up a new trend? Such a practice is a throwback to the days when porn sites entice you with great pictures at the front with possibly poor quality stuff beyond =P Does it help the site that it can then boast to VCs about its 100k signed-up users? The user-base size does not reflect the site value but rather the enticement.