Extending its licensing agreement with Giant Mobile Corporation, LFP will now distribute mobile offerings that include adult-themed gambling and puzzle games, video clips, streaming video, chat services and screensavers across three continents.
“The Hustler brand has become a consumer icon, encompassing not just print publishing, but everything from lingerie and apparel to high-rolling casinos and retail stores,” said Robert Barr, managing director of GIANTmobile. “Hustler is now a lifestyle – a lifestyle for today’s mobile generation who demand extreme, in-your-face entertainment.”
Examples of the content that LFP would be bringing to North American phones include animated MMS greeting cards of Hustler girls stripping, strip poker, ring tones featuring “steamy sounds,” virtual girlfriends, and clips from the “Barely Legal,” “Busty Beauties” and “Asian Fever” series.
“I’m very impressed with what GIANTmobile has done with Hustler,” said LFP owner Larry Flynt. “Bringing Hustler to the consumer through this technology has been a great addition to the world of Hustler, and a natural extension of the distribution of our print and electronic publications.”
Hustler’s foray into the North American mobile market comes shortly after CTIA, the wireless trade organization, answered an FCC challenge made in mid-February to create self-regulatory adult content guidelines.
“For much of the last year, CTIA has spearheaded an industry-wide effort to understand and address the issues associated with content classification and restriction in the mobile wireless context,” CTIA President Steve Largent wrote in an open letter to John Muleta, chief of the FCC Wireless Telecommunications Bureau. “The current timeline aims for adoption of the guidelines and announcement of the industry-wide agreement in the second quarter of 2005, with implementation of the guidelines by the end of 2005.”
Though CTIA has only outlined the policies so far, their suggestions involve labeling content as unavailable to users under 18, stricter age-verification methods, and an educational campaign.
“The wireless industry has been, and will continue to be, at the forefront of meaningful efforts to inform consumers about the nature of the content available to them on mobile phones and will put in place the tools to prevent unauthorized access to inappropriate content,” Largent said.