Segments
The company has three reportable segments: Licensing, which includes licensing of Playboy brands to third parties; Direct-to-Consumer, including sales of third-party products through its owned-and-operated e-commerce platforms; and Digital Subscriptions and Content, including the sale of subscriptions to Playboy programming and trademark licensing for online gaming products.
As of the 2020 re-organization the business had four main market categories:
The company's Playboy Foundation provides grants to non-profit groups involved in fighting censorship and researching human sexuality.
The company licenses the Playboy name, the Rabbit Head design and other images, trademarks, and artwork to "appear on a wide range of consumer products including apparel, accessories, footwear, lingerie, jewelry, fragrances and home fashions." Its licensed products generate "more than $3 billion in global sales in more than 180 countries."[32] The company's trademarks and copyrights are critical to the success and potential growth of its business as "Playboy is one of the most recognized, celebrated and popular consumer brands in the world."[33] In 2019, Playboy ranked number 21 among the Top 150 Global Licensors by License Global magazine.[34] As of 2013, the licensing accounts for about 65% of revenue.[35]
PB Lifestyle Ltd. is promoted by Mumbai-based entrepreneurs. Following their interests in media and entertainment, PB Lifestyle Ltd. has signed the master and exclusive franchise/licensee agreement with Playboy Enterprises USA (for ten years) for the use of the Playboy brand in India for various businesses.[36] PB Lifestyle representatives have also stated that the company will adapt the Playboy brand to suit India's decency standards and will not allow content/material that is deemed "lascivious or appealing to prurient interests".[37]
Playboy first entered the Chinese market in a 1988 licensing deal with Hong Kong–based Chaifa Group. By the early 1990s, Licenses were divided into subcategories of products and sold to mainland manufacturers. The company claimed roughly 650 stores by 2003.[38] This had grown to 3,100 by 2015.[39] The company has attempted to open a club in Shanghai, once in 2004,[40] and again in 2017.[41] In May 2015, Playboy signed a 10-year licensing agreement with Handong United to manufacture and distribute fashion apparel.[39]
- Sexual Wellness, comprising own-branded lingerie and sexual amenities including CBD products. This segment contributed over 40% to revenue in 2020.[31]
- Style & Apparel, comprising licensed fashion sales globally, especially in China, where it is the leading men's fashion brand with over 3500 stores. This segment contributed around 52% of revenue in 2020.[31]
- Beauty & Grooming, comprising skincare, beauty and grooming products. This segment contributed around 2% to revenue in 2020.[31]
