Playboy Enterprises
Encyclopedia
Playboy Enterprises, Inc. is a privately held global media and lifestyle company founded by Hugh Marston Hefner
to manage the Playboy
magazine empire. Its programming and content are available worldwide on television networks, Websites, mobile platforms and radio. Today, Playboy Enterprises, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, engages in the development and distribution of adult entertainment. The Playboy brand is one of the most widely recognized and popular brands in the world. The company is structured with three business segments: Publishing (which manages the magazine), Entertainment (which controls electronic assets), and Licensing (which licenses the Playboy name and bunny logo to third parties).
Sales of Playboy magazine peaked in 1972 at over 7 million copies and then declined as the market shifted to "laddy" magazines such as Maxim
. The company now derives only one-third of its revenues from Playboy magazine, with the other two-thirds from the dissemination of adult content in electronic form, such as television, the internet and DVDs. Much of this electronic revenue comes not from the soft nude imagery which made the magazine famous, but from hardcore pornography connected with the company's ownership of Spice Digital Networks
, Club Jenna, and Adult.com
At one point Playboy Enterprises, Inc. maintained a mirror service
on their network for open source software used by the network administrators by using spare resources at no extra cost. However, this mirror service is no longer active.
Playboy Enterprises, Inc. occupies the top office floors of 680 N. Lake Shore Drive
(formerly 666 N. Lake Shore Drive) in Chicago
's Streeterville
neighborhood within the Near North Side
community area
. The company employed 782 full-time employees at the end of 2006.
. The business quickly expanded and began to develop and distribute a wider range of adult entertainment. It went public in 1971. Christie Hefner, daughter of Hugh Hefner
, was the President from 1982, and Chairman of the Board
and Chief Executive Officer
from 1988, until she left the company in 2009.
The Age
reported in October 2008 that, for the first-time ever, Hugh Hefner is selling tickets to his celebrity-filled parties to offset his cash-flow problems due to setbacks Playboy Enterprises has suffered, including decreasing Playboy circulation, decreasing stock
value, and ventures that have yet to turn a profit. Christie Hefner released a memo to employees about her efforts to streamline the company's operations, including eliminating its DVD
division and laying off staff.
Playboy also ran forty Playboy Club
properties from 1960 to 1986. From 1981 to 1984, the company was a partner in the Playboy Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey
. Playboy Enterprises was denied a permanent NJ gaming license and was forced to sell out to its partner, which changed the name of the hotel/casino to the Atlantis Hotel and Casino. The company is returning to nightlife business with the Playboy Club
at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas
. And Playboy is hunting other casino licensing deals in Macau and London. Meanwhile, the company says it will open at least three Playboy stores in each of the next three years.http://moneycentral.msn.com/content/P136823.asp
The company's Playboy Foundation
provides grants to non-profit groups involved in fighting censorship
and researching human sexuality
.
Hugh Hefner
Hugh Marston "Hef" Hefner is an American magazine publisher, founder and Chief Creative Officer of Playboy Enterprises.-Early life:...
to manage the Playboy
Playboy
Playboy is an American men's magazine that features photographs of nude women as well as journalism and fiction. It was founded in Chicago in 1953 by Hugh Hefner and his associates, and funded in part by a $1,000 loan from Hefner's mother. The magazine has grown into Playboy Enterprises, Inc., with...
magazine empire. Its programming and content are available worldwide on television networks, Websites, mobile platforms and radio. Today, Playboy Enterprises, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, engages in the development and distribution of adult entertainment. The Playboy brand is one of the most widely recognized and popular brands in the world. The company is structured with three business segments: Publishing (which manages the magazine), Entertainment (which controls electronic assets), and Licensing (which licenses the Playboy name and bunny logo to third parties).
Sales of Playboy magazine peaked in 1972 at over 7 million copies and then declined as the market shifted to "laddy" magazines such as Maxim
Maxim (magazine)
Maxim is an international men's magazine based in the United Kingdom and known for its pictorials featuring popular actresses, singers, and female models, sometimes pictured dressed, often pictured scantily dressed but not fully nude....
. The company now derives only one-third of its revenues from Playboy magazine, with the other two-thirds from the dissemination of adult content in electronic form, such as television, the internet and DVDs. Much of this electronic revenue comes not from the soft nude imagery which made the magazine famous, but from hardcore pornography connected with the company's ownership of Spice Digital Networks
Spice Network
The Spice Networks is a group of pornographic pay-per-view channels available via cable, IPTV and satellite services, and available in more than 72 countries including the United States and New Zealand...
, Club Jenna, and Adult.com
At one point Playboy Enterprises, Inc. maintained a mirror service
Mirror (computing)
In computing, a mirror is an exact copy of a data set. On the Internet, a mirror site is an exact copy of another Internet site.Mirror sites are most commonly used to provide multiple sources of the same information, and are of particular value as a way of providing reliable access to large downloads...
on their network for open source software used by the network administrators by using spare resources at no extra cost. However, this mirror service is no longer active.
Playboy Enterprises, Inc. occupies the top office floors of 680 N. Lake Shore Drive
680 N Lake Shore Drive
680 N Lake Shore Drive is a 29 story building located in the Streeterville neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois. Originally named the American Furniture Mart, it was designed by Henry Raeder and construction was completed in 1926...
(formerly 666 N. Lake Shore Drive) in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
's Streeterville
Streeterville
Streeterville is a neighborhood in the Near North Side community area of Chicago, Illinois, United States, north of the Chicago River in Cook County...
neighborhood within the Near North Side
Near North Side, Chicago
The Near North Side is one of 77 well-defined community areas of Chicago, Illinois, United States. It is located north and east of the Chicago River, just north of the central business district . To its east is Lake Michigan and its northern boundary is the 19th-century city limit of Chicago,...
community area
Community areas of Chicago
Community areas in Chicago refers to the work of the Social Science Research Committee at University of Chicago which has unofficially divided the City of Chicago into 77 community areas. These areas are well-defined and static...
. The company employed 782 full-time employees at the end of 2006.
Brief history
Playboy Enterprises was created in 1953 as the HMH Publishing Co., Inc. for the purpose of publishing PlayboyPlayboy
Playboy is an American men's magazine that features photographs of nude women as well as journalism and fiction. It was founded in Chicago in 1953 by Hugh Hefner and his associates, and funded in part by a $1,000 loan from Hefner's mother. The magazine has grown into Playboy Enterprises, Inc., with...
. The business quickly expanded and began to develop and distribute a wider range of adult entertainment. It went public in 1971. Christie Hefner, daughter of Hugh Hefner
Hugh Hefner
Hugh Marston "Hef" Hefner is an American magazine publisher, founder and Chief Creative Officer of Playboy Enterprises.-Early life:...
, was the President from 1982, and Chairman of the Board
Chair (official)
The chairman is the highest officer of an organized group such as a board, committee, or deliberative assembly. The person holding the office is typically elected or appointed by the members of the group. The chairman presides over meetings of the assembled group and conducts its business in an...
and Chief Executive Officer
Chief executive officer
A chief executive officer , managing director , Executive Director for non-profit organizations, or chief executive is the highest-ranking corporate officer or administrator in charge of total management of an organization...
from 1988, until she left the company in 2009.
The Age
The Age
The Age is a daily broadsheet newspaper, which has been published in Melbourne, Australia since 1854. Owned and published by Fairfax Media, The Age primarily serves Victoria, but is also available for purchase in Tasmania, the Australian Capital Territory and border regions of South Australia and...
reported in October 2008 that, for the first-time ever, Hugh Hefner is selling tickets to his celebrity-filled parties to offset his cash-flow problems due to setbacks Playboy Enterprises has suffered, including decreasing Playboy circulation, decreasing stock
Stock
The capital stock of a business entity represents the original capital paid into or invested in the business by its founders. It serves as a security for the creditors of a business since it cannot be withdrawn to the detriment of the creditors...
value, and ventures that have yet to turn a profit. Christie Hefner released a memo to employees about her efforts to streamline the company's operations, including eliminating its DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
division and laying off staff.
Divisions
- Publishing GroupPlayboy PublishingThe Playboy Publishing Group is a division of Playboy Enterprises. The Publishing segment publishes Playboy magazine, a general-interest magazine targeted to men; special editions, books, and calendars; and the licensing of international editions of Playboy magazine...
:- Playboy magazine
- Playboy Newsstand Specials
- Entertainment GroupPlayboy EntertainmentThe Playboy Entertainment Group is a division of Playboy Enterprises that includes Playboy TV and Playboy Online, which is the fastest growing revenue source for the company...
:- Playboy TVPlayboy TVPlayboy TV is a premium monthly subscription television channel. Since its launch in 1982 in partnership with Cablevision which eventually sold their share back to Playboy, Playboy TV has become a leading entertainment channel for adult entertainment...
(formerly the Playboy Channel) - Spice NetworkSpice NetworkThe Spice Networks is a group of pornographic pay-per-view channels available via cable, IPTV and satellite services, and available in more than 72 countries including the United States and New Zealand...
(Consists of 12 digital networks) - Playboy OnlinePlayboy OnlinePlayboy Online is the internet business segment of Playboy Enterprises. It produces some original content that differs from print editions of the publications produced by Playboy Publishing, one of the three business segments of Playboy Enterpises...
:- Playboy.com
- Playboy.co.uk
- PlayboyStore.com
- Playboy Gaming
- Playboy Cyber ClubPlayboy Cyber ClubThe Playboy Cyber Club is the subscription based premium service portion of Playboy Online that serves as an online complement to Playboy magazine, the U.S. and World's biggest selling men's magazine. It debuted in 1995 as part of Playboy Online and continues as its premium service today...
- Playboy Plus
- Playboy.net
- Playboy RadioPlayboy RadioPlayboy Radio is a radio station on Sirius Satellite Radio. Playboy Radio was originally launched on XM Satellite Radio in September 2002. Included were programs such as Night Calls Radio, originally hosted by adult film star Juli Ashton and Playboy TV star Tiffany Granath...
- Playboy TV
- Licensing GroupPlayboy LicensingThe Playboy Licensing Group is a division of Playboy Enterprises. The Licensing segment licenses the Playboy name, the Rabbit Head design and other images, trademarks, and artwork, as well as the Spice name and trademarks for various men's and women's apparel, men's underwear and women's lingerie,...
:- Handles Playboy trademarks on apparel, accessories, collectibles (like: trading cards, toy cars, dollsPlayboy Collectors' Figure SeriesPlayboy Collectors' Figures are a series of dolls modeled after popular Playboy Playmates. Generally known as Playboy Dolls, the first doll was launched at the International Toy Fair in New York in 2002. The dolls are 16 inches tall, dwarfing G.I. Joe dolls by 4 inches...
, etc.) and more
- Handles Playboy trademarks on apparel, accessories, collectibles (like: trading cards, toy cars, dolls
- College Division
- Playboy on Campus
Playboy also ran forty Playboy Club
Playboy Club
The Playboy Club initially was a chain of nightclubs and resorts owned and operated by Playboy Enterprises. The first club opened at 116 E. Walton Street in downtown Chicago, Illinois, United States, on February 29, 1960. Each club generally featured a Living Room, a Playmate Bar, a Dining Room...
properties from 1960 to 1986. From 1981 to 1984, the company was a partner in the Playboy Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey
Atlantic City, New Jersey
Atlantic City is a city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States, and a nationally renowned resort city for gambling, shopping and fine dining. The city also served as the inspiration for the American version of the board game Monopoly. Atlantic City is located on Absecon Island on the coast...
. Playboy Enterprises was denied a permanent NJ gaming license and was forced to sell out to its partner, which changed the name of the hotel/casino to the Atlantis Hotel and Casino. The company is returning to nightlife business with the Playboy Club
Playboy Club (Las Vegas)
The Playboy Club is a nightclub located on the 52nd floor of the Fantasy Tower at the Palms Casino Resort in Paradise, Nevada, which is located in the Las Vegas metropolitan area...
at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
. And Playboy is hunting other casino licensing deals in Macau and London. Meanwhile, the company says it will open at least three Playboy stores in each of the next three years.http://moneycentral.msn.com/content/P136823.asp
The company's Playboy Foundation
Playboy Foundation
The Playboy Foundation is a corporate-giving organization that provides grants to non-profit groups involved in fighting censorship and researching human sexuality. It gives grants and in-kind contributions, such as advertising space in the Playboy magazine to organizations concerned with US First...
provides grants to non-profit groups involved in fighting censorship
Censorship
thumb|[[Book burning]] following the [[1973 Chilean coup d'état|1973 coup]] that installed the [[Military government of Chile |Pinochet regime]] in Chile...
and researching human sexuality
Human sexuality
Human sexuality is the awareness of gender differences, and the capacity to have erotic experiences and responses. Human sexuality can also be described as the way someone is sexually attracted to another person whether it is to opposite sexes , to the same sex , to either sexes , or not being...
.