LOS ANGELES — Playboy will relaunch a digital version of its magazine, which was discontinued in 2020, later this year as part of an effort to rebrand the company’s creator platform.
Playboy’s current creator platform, Centerfold, will be integrated into the new platform, according to an article in the New York Post that quotes top execs at the company.
Centerfold creators — who joined the platform by invitation after it launched in December 2021 through a campaign spearheaded by rapper and influencer Cardi B — were advised of the changes several weeks ago.
Playboy’s parent company, the publicly traded PLBY Group, is aiming to position the newly revamped creator platform as a direct competitor to OnlyFans.
According to the Post, the online publication “will serve as an entry to Playboy’s ‘creator platform,’ which the brand is selling as an ‘elevated,’ ‘safe’ and ‘exclusive’ alternative to OnlyFans.”
Playboy creator Amanda Cerny, a popular model on the Centerfold platform, will appear on the first “digital cover” of the relaunched magazine, an image of which was shared with the Post.
The article notes that Cerny “has made more than $1 million as a Playboy creator using the beta version of the platform, Centerfold.”
Playboy’s Chief Brand Officer Rachel Webber told the Post, “Our Playboy creator platform is the Playboy magazine for the 21st century. We’re putting the power of content creation in the hands of the creative community and giving them the tools to interact with and monetize their fanbases directly.”
According to the company, to join the new platform, Playboy's creators have to apply and be accepted by its editorial team.
Playboy CEO Ben Kohn told the Post he hopes the platform “will disrupt the current creator economy the same way Playboy magazine shook up the publishing industry nearly 70 years ago.”
