The print business is not doing so well and Playboy knows it. For the first quarter of 2009 the “Bunny” reported a $13.7 million loss (includes $8.7 million of “œimpairment and restructuring charges“) and even after last year’s layoffs, things are not looking well on their part. And given the state of the economy, it could be worse in the near future, right?
But they’re considering radical changes.
Apparently Playboy has a “brilliant” plan to save the print business. How? They’re going to raise prices and reduce the frequency (combine two months into one?) their magazines appear at the news stands.
However what interim CEO Jerome Kern is not considering is that less and less people are reading Playboy. With all the free images and videos you get when browsing the Internet, it’s not worth paying the money, since someone will eventually leak them online. And although the Internet is not doing great either (when it comes to advertising budges for example), Playboy would probably do better by just focusing on their online business.
Anyone to bet how long the print magazine is going to last? [via Folio]
