As part of the agreement with the 50-year-old Playboy, 1633SA will launch Playboy.fr, an adult entertainment website geared toward young men that will feature Playboy-branded content and streaming media from the Playboy.com archives.
The deal is expected to maximize brand exposure for the Playboy name through a combination of multimedia mediums so far untapped by most adult entertainment entities.
"Global recognition of the Playboy brand has never been stronger and with Internet and wireless penetration growing steadily in France, we feel this is a perfect time to expand our businesses in this market," stated Randy Nicolau, president of Playboy Online.
Also written into the deal is a wireless initiative to supply Playboy content to mobile phones through yet-unspecified wireless networks. According to representatives for Playboy, wireless users will be able to download Playboy wallpaper images, instant messaging content, images, and streaming video.
Playboy already has five international websites under its wingspan in countries like Brazil, Taiwan, Germany, and the Netherlands, according to the company.
The multimedia deal between the two companies is part of a larger strategy by Playboy to branch out the Playboy name on an international scale. Over the past decade, 1633SA has made serious strides in the wireless and broadband marketing sector.
1633SA, the publisher of books and popular magazines such as 'Newlook' and 'Femme Pratique' has been the publisher of Playboy's French magazine edition for the past few years and will provide website content via its editorial offices.
The launch date for Playboy's French multimedia initiative is scheduled for the end of March. The Playboy brand name includes Playboy.com Inc., Playboy Cyber Club, PlayboyNet, PlayboyNet Espanol, and SpiceNet.
