Playboy suspends print

Playboy’s spring 2020 issue, which arrived on U.S. newsstands and as a digital download last week, will be the final printed issue of the publication for the year in the U.S., a March 18 note from Playboy Enterprises Ben Kohn read. The magazine had been on a quarterly print schedule.

With the disruptions of COVID-19, the company was forced to accelerate a conversation it’s been having internally: “the question of how to transform our U.S. print product to better suit what consumers want today, and how to utilize our industry-leading content production capabilities to engage in a cultural conversation each and every day, rather than just every three months,” read the note.

The publication will move to a digital-first publishing schedule for all content including the Playboy Interview, 20Q, the Playboy Advisor and Playmate pictorials.

The Playboy brand is more successful than ever before, according to the note. “We drive over $3 billion in annual consumer spend worldwide. We reach hundreds of millions of eyeballs every year, across all genders,” read the note.

In 2021, the company will bring back printed offerings in a variety of new forms, through special editions, partnerships with provocative creators, timely collections and other offerings, the note said. “Print is how we began and print will always be a part of who we are,” it said.

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