Playboy to launch digital magazine

Playboy will launch a digital edition of its flagship magazine with its October issue.

The digital Playboy would be identical to the print edition, the Chicago-based media and adult-entertainment company said.

“We see this is a natural extension of the Playboy brand,” chief executive Christie Hefner said.

Hefner added that giving Playboy increased distribution and worldwide access over the web would boost its advertisers’ reach.

The move will provide “additional advertising sales opportunities as we are able to meet the growing demand of companies to market online by offering ad-sponsored links”, the CEO said.

The digital edition will make its debut in the US on September 13, the same day the October issue’s print version appears on newsstands.

Playboy, now in its sixth decade, has faced increasingly tough competition from the online world, where downloads of sexually-charged content are a leading source of revenue.

Print rivals such as Maxim and FHM have also been strong challengers to Playboy.