The network will serve up Playboy-branded lifestyle content through each of the video-hosting providers.
"As one of the most iconic entertainment-lifestyle brands in the world, Playboy is uniquely positioned to leverage video and social-media platforms to create compelling new ways and places for fans to interact with our brand while also generating innovative marketing opportunities for our advertising partners," Playboy Media Group executive vice president of business development Jeremy Westin said.
Playboy has also entered into a deal with social advertising and marketing solutions provider Mixercast, to develop a suite of ad-supported content and contest widgets, as part of the new strategy.
According to a company press release, Playboy will “create new levels of engagement for consumers through the distribution of the global brand's lifestyle-video content and also will collaborate with its distribution partners to integrate current and new advertisers into the network.”
The network will offer free and ad-supported lifestyle programming, as well as new original short-form content franchises created specifically for third-party distribution including the "Playboy Radio Minute" with video highlights from the Playboy Radio Morning Show on Sirius satellite radio; "Bridget's Mansion Minute," a video blog featuring Bridget Marquardt of "The Girls Next Door;" and "Playboy's Guy 101" how-to video. Later in the year, the company also plans on launching contests and user-generated content initiatives.
All Playboy Audience Network content will be non-nude.
To kick off the new network and celebrate Playboy’s 55th anniversary, Playboy also announced today that it will use its new YouTube channel to launch a first-ever video casting call, where prospective models can enter their own video clips.
"With the Playboy Audience Network and initiatives like the YouTube talent search, we want to create more of the interactive engagement in our digital business that we've traditionally been able to provide in the high-touch world of our parties, events, location-based entertainment venues and retail stores," Westin said.
A video invitation to the contest from “The Girls Next Door” star Holly Madison is posted at Playboy's YouTube Channel. Interested models can upload a two-minute, non-nude video responses to the invitation.
Voters on Playboy.com will choose the best entries from a field of finalists, with winners being selected by Madison and the Playboy editorial team.
Winners will receive a trip to Los Angeles for two days with the Playboy team and be featured in a pictorial that will appear on Playboy.com. They will also participate in a catalog fashion shoot featuring Playboy's latest apparel collections, as well as a private Playmate test-shoot with Madison that could result in one of the winners being selected as the 55th Anniversary Playmate for Playboy magazine's January 2009 issue.
For complete video casting call rules and FAQs, click here.