Playboy Enterprises has confirmed it has a deal with Real Networks to distribute Playboy TV Club on the Internet through a RealOne Open Pass Premium subscription service.
The two companies made their formal announcement May 27, after speculation emerged the previous week that the two companies were making the deal despite Real's previously expressed edginess about stepping toward adult entertainment. The Open Pass subscription distribution for Playboy TV Club began the same day.
Any previous edginess about stepping toward adult content seemed non-existent when Real senior vice president Merrill Brown announced the Playboy deal. "We are continuously striving to expand the reach of content providers," he said. "Playboy has been a leader in leveraging its diverse content assets online and we are delighted to support their broadband initiatives through the RealOne OpenPass marketplace."
"By partnering with RealNetworks, the premiere broadband content aggregator, we are able to extend the reach of our online broadband product to one of the largest rich media audiences on the web," said Playboy.com president Randy Nicolau announcing the Real deal. "This deal comes on the heels of our first profitable quarter and will enable us to continue the impressive growth of our online business, of which subscriptions is already the largest component."
Playboy TV Club puts TV content on the Web, with subscribers able to pick their own media playlists and view hours worth of Playboy TV programming plus outtakes, behind-the-scenes footage, photo galleries, and other features.
