Like its American sister, www.Playboy.de will target the entertainment and lifestyle interests of young men. It will have a local, dedicated editorial staff based in Munich, Germany, to create original material as well as make use of content from the German Playboy magazine (published by Heinrich Bauer Verlag), and translate some US-originated Playboy.com content, including streaming video features and live event coverage.
Playboy.de will also link to Focus.de, the most highly trafficked content site in Germany and a division of FOCUS Digital AG, through its entertainment channel.
The German site will mirror the multiple revenue stream model of Playboy.com, starting with advertising and the subscription-based Playboy Cyber Club, and then adding the Playboy Store, Playboy Auctions and other e-commerce. FOCUS Digital AG will fund Playboy.de and will initially have an 80 percent interest in the joint venture; Playboy.com will initially have a 20 percent interest.
Christie Hefner, chairman of Playboy.com, said, "We are excited to be launching our global strategy in Germany, a country where our magazine has been a commercial and cultural success for over 25 years, and the fastest-growing internet market in Europe."
Subject to satisfactory completion of legal and operational due diligence and customary closing conditions, the deal is expected to close by year-end.
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