Penthouse Magazine is ending its print edition after more than 50 years of publication. General Media Communications, which supervises the publication of the magazine, confirmed on Friday that Penthouse will be offered in digital format.
Penthouse magazine has ended its print edition after 50 years in publishing https://t.co/Pg28a7vhlU pic.twitter.com/C984ziBaZO
— The Verge (@verge) January 19, 2016
“Reimagined for the preferred consumption of content today by consumers, the digital version of Penthouse Magazine will combine and convert everything readers know and love about the print magazine experience to the power of a digital experience,” FriendFinder Network said in a statement.
Penthouse decided to go digital after its rival, popular men’s magazine Playboy, announced that it would stop publishing nude photos of women as part of a redesign that will be revealed in March. Playboy’s last print issue in December featured nude women and Pamela Anderson.
Pamela Anderson bares it all for final nude issue of Playboy magazine https://t.co/oddOT7jQbU pic.twitter.com/E6Ytx9aBIV
— Stomp Singapore (@stompsingapore) December 6, 2015
Ezra Shashoua, CFO of FriendFinder Network, the parent company of Penthouse Magazine clarified that the magazine will still publish print copies until their transition to digital format is complete. “Penthouse Magazine will continue to be published in print during the transition to digital. No specific date to stop print publication of our flagship magazine has been set.”
As part of the changes, the publication has also closed its headquarters in New York and moved to FriendFinder’s offices in Los Angeles.
The change is deemed to help keep the magazine competitive in the future.
“This move will keep Penthouse competitive in the future and will seamlessly combine our unmatched pictorial features and editorial content with our video and broadcast offerings,” said Jonathan Buckheit, FriendFinder Networks CEO.
Apparently sex doesn’t always sell. The owner of Penthouse magazine has filed for bankruptcy http://t.co/HbnYDSlAZh
— New York Post (@nypost) September 18, 2013
Penthouse has reportedly had financial issues for several years now, and in 2013, its publisher filed for bankruptcy. The company – which also owns the AdultFriendFinder website – said the magazine had not turned a profit since 2008, but was cleared to exit bankruptcy court after three months.
FriendFinder bought Penthouse Magazine in 2004 after it went bankrupt.
