Playboy Enterprises Inc. has tapped into Real Networks Inc.'s new Internet subscription outlet to widen its the online reach of its adult content.
Under the deal, Playboy.com will use Real's OpenPass platform to distribute its Playboy TV Club premium broadband subscription service via Playboy.com. Tapping the base of RealOne Player users, OpenPass provides an aggregation point for third-party branded content and supplies the tools to manage the resulting transactions, including payment and billing systems, authentication and content security.
Among the 21 initial brands signing up for OpenPass are Motor Trend, Sporting News Radio and the Professional Bowlers Association.
Playboy TV Club offers paying customers Playboy TV Network's original and exclusive television programming in an interactive format. That includes hours of Playboy shows and online-only content ranging from outtakes to behind-the-scenes footage, photo galleries and other features.
"By partnering with Real Networks, the premier 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 in a release. "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."
