Playboy is relaunching its iconic magazine as a digital-first publication — as the racy lifestyle brand takes on OnlyFans, The Post has learned.
The revamped magazine, which shuttered in 2020 and ceased printing, will debut later this year.
The online publication will serve as an entry to Playboy’s “creator platform,” which the brand is selling as an “elevated,” “safe” and “exclusive” alternative to OnlyFans.
Now, instead of Playboy “bunnies,” you’ll have Playboy “creators,” who will post adult and non-adult content on their pages, give subscribers exclusive access into their lives and grace the magazine’s online covers.
The Post got its hand on Playboy’s first-ever “digital cover,” which features model Amanda Cerny, who has made more than $1 million as a Playboy creator using the beta version of the platform, “Centerfold.”
Playboy first launched “Centerfold” with spokeswoman Cardi B in December 2021 as a place “for creative freedom, artistic expression, and sex positivity.”
Much like OnlyFans, it allows models to cultivate paying subscribers.
Playboy told The Post it is dropping the name “Centerfold” and the platform will instead be integrated into the fabric of Playboy.
“Our Playboy creator platform is the Playboy magazine for the 21st century,” the company’s chief brand officer Rachel Webber said. “We’re putting the power of content creation in the hands of the creative community and giving them the tools to interact with and monetize their fanbases directly.”
The big difference between OnlyFans and Playboy, the brand says, is that while anyone can become an OnlyFans creator, Playboy’s creators have to apply and be accepted by its editorial team.
Still, Playboy’s new platform shares many of OnlyFans’ features: Users can subscribe and pay to view adult and non-adult content and will be able to message the models — all while getting special “access” to their daily lives.
Playboy CEO Ben Kohn said he hopes its creator platform will disrupt the current creator economy “the same way Playboy magazine shook up the publishing industry nearly 70 years ago.”
Playboy, known for its iconic covers and centerfolds, announced the end of the print magazine in March 2020, citing budget woes, and laid off 25 staffers two months later.
The company said the new digital magazine will feature essays from creators and content about what it’s like to be a part of Playboy.