Planned Relaunch of Playboy Magazine, Playmate Franchise, Website, and Events Business Will Revitalize the Brand and Expand The Playboy Club Creator Platform
LOS ANGELES – August 8, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) – PLBY Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: PLBY) (“PLBY Group” or the “Company”), a leading lifestyle company and owner of Playboy, today announced the return of the iconic Playboy magazine with an annual edition to be released in February 2025. In conjunction with the magazine, the revival of Playboy’s legendary Playmate franchise will also make its comeback with a worldwide search for the 2025 Playmate of the Year and a new class of Playboy Bunnies, who will represent the brand at exclusive events and experiences throughout the year. Additionally, the new Playboy.com website launched this week featuring an array of unique and exclusive content. The highly anticipated return of these Playboy franchises marks a new chapter in the brand’s storied legacy and celebrates 70 years of the Company’s flagship property.
The new Playboy magazine will feature everything that made the publication iconic: unforgettable photography, renowned features such as the Playboy Interview and Playboy Advisor, celebrity pictorials, and the Playmate Centerfold, which has been a central component of Playboy since its inception. The new Playmate initiative and Bunny casting will launch later this month online will feature an eight-city search, kicking off next month in New York City and spanning from Los Angeles to Miami, culminating in the 2024 Playmate of the Year being unveiled in the new issue. The search will also look for the 2025 Playmate of the Year and Playmates to be featured online each month throughout next year.
Mark Healy has been appointed as the Editor-in-Chief for Playboy magazine’s first print edition since 2020. Healy is a well-known content leader, journalist and editor who brings a wealth of experience in the media industry and held senior positions at the GQ, Rolling Stone, and Men’s Journal, where he was Editor-in-Chief. The upcoming February 2025 print issue will be released at a launch event and celebration during the Big Game Weekend in New Orleans.
A newly redesigned Playboy.com serves as the home for all things Playboy, featuring fresh editorial in key verticals such as men’s lifestyle, sports, automotive, and travel, as well as a vast array of Playboy archives including the Playboy Interview, 20 Questions, and the Playboy Advisor. Original content will be produced with a keen focus on embracing the creator economy, partnering with some of the leading creators today to showcase their unique interests. Playboy has also activated e-commerce and social initiatives with these creators to produce dynamic, fresh content across all of our distribution channels.
“Playboy is the quintessential iconic brand, and it has always been more than a magazine – it is the original creator business that has launched hundreds of careers over the past seventy years,” said Ben Kohn, Chief Executive Officer of PLBY Group. “Our mission is to return Playboy to prominence, and our Playboy Club creators will be integral to that effort. We are partnering with them to develop content across all channels, including web, social, commerce, events and the print magazine. The decision to reintroduce Playboy magazine reflects the Company’s commitment to adapting to the evolving media landscape while preserving the brand’s rich heritage, including the high-quality journalism, compelling storytelling, and provocative content that has defined Playboy for decades.”
Playboy remains committed to its core values of freedom of expression, diversity, and inclusivity. Beyond the magazine, the brand is crafting an all-encompassing consumer experience that will leverage all available channels including print, digital, social, sponsorship, experiential events and more, all grounded in Playboy’s unapologetic legacy.
More details about Playboy’s February 2025 issue, the Playmate and Bunny search, and upcoming events will be released soon.
About PLBY Group, Inc.
PLBY Group, Inc. is a global pleasure and leisure company connecting consumers with products, content, and experiences that help them lead more fulfilling lives. PLBY Group’s flagship consumer brand, Playboy, is one of the most recognizable brands in the world with products and content available in approximately 180 countries. PLBY Group’s mission—to create a culture where all people can pursue pleasure—builds upon over 70 years of creating groundbreaking media and hospitality experiences and fighting for cultural progress rooted in the core values of equality, freedom of expression and the idea that pleasure is a fundamental human right. Learn more at www.plbygroup.com.
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