Playboy Magazine is re-evaluating its revenue streams in light of the recent health care crisis surrounding Covid-19. They announced on Thursday that they are putting out its quarterly print magazine and going fully digital for the rest of the year (2020). They also said they MAY be producing limited print runs in 2021. Here is part of the open letter released by by Playboy’s CEO:
"We are (also) immensely proud of our revamped quarterly magazine that is inarguably one of the most beautifully designed print offerings on the market today. But it’s no surprise that media consumption habits have been changing for some time–and while the stories we produce and the artwork we showcase is enjoyed by millions of people on digital platforms, our content in its printed form reaches the hands of only a fraction of our fans.
Last week, as the disruption of the coronavirus pandemic to content production and the supply chain became clearer and clearer, we were forced to accelerate a conversation we’ve 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. With all of this in mind, we have decided that our Spring 2020 Issue, which arrives on U.S. newsstands and as a digital download this week, will be our final printed publication for the year in the U.S. We will move to a digital-first publishing schedule for all of our content including the Playboy Interview, 20Q, the Playboy Advisor and of course our Playmate pictorials.
In 2021, alongside our digital content offerings and new consumer product launches, we will bring back fresh and innovative printed offerings in a variety of new forms–through special editions, partnerships with the most provocative creators, timely collections and much more. Print is how we began and print will always be a part of who we are."
Playboy published it's first issue back in December of 1953 with Marilyn Monroe as it's first centerfold. In October 2015, Playboy announced that, starting with their March 2016 issue, the magazine would no longer feature full frontal nudity.Playboy CEO Scott Flanders acknowledged the magazine's "inability to compete with freely available Internet pornography."