The deal with Playboy includes all properties belonging to parent company ICS Inc., including Adult.com GFY.com, RealityCash, Webmaster Access trade shows and CinemaPlay Entertainment Group, a Chatsworth, Calif.-based video distribution outlet.
Joe Lensman will continue on as president of Adult.com and Eric Matis has been promoted to vice president of marketing.
Lensman told XBiz that the deal with Playboy will in no way affect adult webmasters or the company’s staff and that there are no immediate plans to make changes to Adult.com properties. The only changes will be in accounting, he said.
“In addition to creating a stronger online presence, the deal also will enhance Playboy’s presence in adult video distribution, adding to its already established Spice Channel offerings and classic Playboy titles,” Lensman told XBiz.
Lensman and Playboy Vice President of Public Relations Jay Jay Nesheim both agreed that there would be no immediate changes to either brand and that in the long-term, the two companies will roll out a broad array of new products, sites, webmaster resources and distribution avenues using mobile, web and video outlets.
Nesheim added that while the Playboy brand is considered “sexy,” the company fully intends to keep its image intact and does not have any immediate plans to venture into “harder” categories of adult entertainment.
“This is not a change to the Playboy model, and we will continue to work as a distinct entity [from Adult.com] much like our Spice business does,” Nesheim told XBiz.
Lensman further endorsed the deal with Playboy by saying that it emphasizes the value Playboy places on the webmaster community.
“Not only will we continue to strive to run the best converting programs, but we will also leverage our assets to create new products and to reward our loyal webmasters,” Lensman said. “Online is the future of adult entertainment and this allows the company to grow in several categories while at the same time it shows Playboy’s commitment to webmasters and to its customers.”
Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.