Playboy to go gay in Britain

Herald Sun ^ | 4 April 2006

[Aussie Dasher]

PLAYBOY, the US-based adult publisher and broadcaster, is considering using Britain as a testing ground for moving into the gay market for the first time, it was reported today.

Playboy wants to launch a new gay brand to boost revenues, the Times said.

Chief-executive Christine Hefner said: "We've extended the Playboy brand to women, and where there is a meaningful gay market, launching under a different brand is something we are very comfortable doing.

"In the UK, our television people are very interested, and I wouldn't be surprised if we launched something this year, given the importance of the market in Britain."

The Playboy group is planning to tap into the gay market as part of a strategy to diversify its interests away from the company's magazine, which is only just profitable despite a three-million-strong circulation.

It has already launched a range of clothing and accessories, mostly for women, and is planning to supply adult video clips to mobile phones.

According to The Business newspaper, Playboy could also launch a chain of shops across Europe this year. The group already has boutiques in Tokyo, Melbourne and Las Vegas in Nevada.

Playboy products are also sold in stores in Europe such as Selfridges in London and Collette in Paris.

[Aussie Dasher]

Pommy playboy poofters? Who'd have ever thought it?

It's enough to put a bloke off his lunch!

[John Will]

Are they just copying and pasting the centerfolds from playgirl?

[NCjim]

Puts an entirely new slant on Playmate of the Month...

[SandRat]

New Name will be "Play ButtBump." < / sarc

[pissant]

It could do an anual "men" of the San Fran Bathhouses or a spread of Home Decorators.

[SteveMcKing]

Playboy always targeted faggoty men anyway. Ie, playboys.

[razorback-bert]

I thought that lesbians were already buying Playboy.

[ElkGroveDan]

Well they've been targeting lesbians trapped in men's bodies for quite a while now.

[Chi-townChief]

In Great Britain, it may be just the thing.

[Tevin]

Playboi?

[Paleo Conservative]

So now they'll have the Playboy Buggerer of the Month^©.

[sit-rep]

[Billthedrill]

They forgot Rule One.

[Petronski]

They've been publishing Playgirl for years. How is this news?

[layman]

Playboy wants to launch a new gay brand to boost revenues, the Times said.

Hollywood has been trying to shove this down our throats for years ... it isn't working ... but give it a bloody go, bloke. It's your money.

[Little Bill]

Lends new meaning to the playing fields of Eton, they will probably have a spread.

Lets keep this pommy thread a little more low key than the last one, in the twilight of Empire the lime's are a little sensitive.

[COEXERJ145]

[Aussie Dasher]

Let me assure you, I won't be touching the bloody thing!

I strictly adhere to Rule 1!

[Clara Lou]

Gag me!

[al baby]

[Aussie Dasher]

Yeah, they did get a bit toey about the last one! LOL!!!!

[dighton]

If I'm not mistaken, different publisher.

[Dallas59]

Playboy going pink?

[hole_n_one]

Thay there, fella!

[isthisnickcool]

FecalBoy?

[Little Bill]

Yeah, the Admin gods pulled all of the interplay between the Islands before I could save them and send them to my brother who is interested in "Mal Dicta".

[Petronski]

Okay, though I won't ask how you might know that...

[Yossarian]

Playboy is going to try to sell to gay British men as well as straight British men?

In the words of ex-SNL newsreader Norm Macdonald, "...this brings up the difficult issue of trying to tell the two apart...."

(OK, the Brits are covering our backs in Iraq and elsewhere, but my Irish half couldn't help but slide that one in!)

[dighton]

A . . . uh, friend of mine knows something about Playboy. I'm happy to say that even he knows nothing about Playgirl.

(No mention of Playgirl on Playboy's corporate overview.)

[headstamp]

or simply "Playbutt"

[RichInOC]

This would never have happened if Hugh were still alive.

[Aussie Dasher]

I think he is still with us...

[Gritty]

What are they going to call this new sexual fantasy magazine,... Playwithboys?

[RichInOC]

I know. I was trying to be funny. But this is still very, very wrong.

[Behind Liberal Lines]

man talk about the end of an era...

[KosmicKitty]

Maybe they could get Barney Frank for their first centerfold!!

[RichInOC]

Sorry about that. See #34. I replied to myself instead of you.

[Denver Ditdat]

That looks a bit like Al Gore, 14 years and 60 pounds ago.

[fso301]

I thought Playgirl was the gay mag.

[daivid]

Last time I watched the Playboy channel, there was a call-in show hosted by two bunnies.

The 'straight' guys called to ask the women to engage in gay sexual acts, such as playing with each other's breasts and other things too.

Playboy has always been gay, just gay sexual acts among women instead of men.

[Snagglepuss]

So what's next? Playboy Bummies?

I wonder what the symbol would look like.

:-)

[stlnative]

Playdyke or Playbutch