Penthouse magazine’s digital edition was launched last week and premiered today. It showcases the February issue, which includes the Penthouse interview with Iggy Pop, Penthouse Pet of the Year Runner-Up Cassia Riley's pictorial and Valentine gift ideas for men.
Penthouse CEO Marc Bell told XBiz the company has been planning its digital version for the past couple months and expects the new edition to garner a few thousand readers by the end of the year.
"Technology has come a long way since Penthouse was first introduced in 1965, and it is PMGI’s goal to meet and exceed the needs of our savvy readership," Bell said. “By going digital, we are able to continue our mission of creating high-quality products for men – in an ever-increasing number of new mediums."
Bell told XBiz the new format is a response to Penthouse’s consumer demand and not a counter to Playboy magazine’s digital format released late last year.
"By launching Penthouse digital, we are offering our advertisers a new venue and increased access to consumers [and] it’s a lucrative means to distribute our content while still adding to our ABC rate base,” Bell said, referring to the third-party verification system for subscribers and readership rates.
The digital magazine contains the same photography and layouts as the print edition and is delivered electronically to any computer via the Internet. Readers can buy 12 issues for $19.99 or purchase single issues for $5.99 each. Additionally, subscribers will automatically receive their copy every month.
"The re-emergence of the Penthouse brand is a significant event in magazine publishing and we are delighted that they chose us to create their digital edition," Zinio President and CEO Scott Kauffman said. "We are confident that this partnership will generate a considerable volume of new readers for this active medium."
Zinio also is partnered with Ziff Davis, VNU, Time Inc., Reader's Digest, McGraw-Hill, Hearst, Hachette Filipacchi, Editorial Televisa.