Playboy magazine publisher reportedly is exploring a sale

Playboy Enterprises is exploring a sale, sources told Bloomberg News, as the publisher of the iconic men’s magazine tries to transform itself into a licensing company.

In October, Playboy announced that it would stop showing nudity starting with the March 2016 issue, reflecting how much the company’s business had changed since pornography became available to anyone with an Internet connection. In January, the company said it was selling the Playboy Mansion in Los Angeles for $200 million.

Playboy, whose first issue came out when Dwight D. Eisenhower was president and featured Marilyn Monroe on its cover, has divested assets, including its cable network, and outsourced magazine printing to focus on licensing its brand.

Bloomberg News

This story was originally published March 24, 2016 at 3:39 PM with the headline "Playboy magazine publisher reportedly is exploring a sale."