February 26, 2005

Parents who are providing their children with cell phones may have perfectly logical reasons for doing so -- but they may want to rethink their rationale because Playboy is planning to start distribution of what it calls "wireless entertainment" early this year.

In a jointly issued media release, Playboy Enterprises (PE) and Dwango Wireless have announced they are joining forces to tap into the huge market of 170 million wireless subscribers throughout North America. The two companies, which are publicly traded via the NYSE and the over-the-market exchanges respectively, intend to flood the mobile phone airwaves with what they refer to as "the fun and sexiness of the classic Playboy lifestyle." 

Dwango claims to be a key player in a wireless industry that can provide customized entertainment, games, and applications for mobile phones. Dwango's venture with Playboy Enterprises will serve to expand the reach of Playboy's soft-core pornography entertainment business to mobile cell phone users.  Playboy already offers such "wireless entertainment" content in countries such as Germany, Britain, Australia, and Brazil.

According to a joint press statement released in early December, the content will include such things as "Playboy-themed" games, images, video clips, voice clips, and ring tones.  A PE spokesman says based on the success it has experienced with wireless offerings around the globe, the company "felt the time was right" to expand into the U.S. market.  A Dwango official says his company is "excited" about teaming up with a "respected lifestyle brand" like Playboy.  As Dwango president Alexander Conrad puts it:  "Playboy enthusiasts will soon have the ability to select from a diverse library of content that fits their unique interests."

Rick Schatz of the National Coalition for the Protection of Children and Families (NCPCF), a non-profit organization based in Cincinnati, Ohio, has a warning for parents.  "The fact is, we are entering a new era in the age of porn ... a time when pornography has jumped from the back alleys to cell phones and MP3 players," he says in a statement issued earlier this month.

Pro-family advocates like Schatz reminds parents that much of the new wireless technology is used by children.  For example, Dwango has other similar business relationships, including Rolling Stone magazine, which predominately markets itself to a younger audience.  "If there is one thing I can guarantee," Schatz cautions, "your child [already] knows how or will be taught how to ... download porn on [their own] personal wireless device."

Playboy's entry into the wireless market potentially allows more people to experience "the sexiness of the classic Playboy lifestyle," as the porn producer describes it.  PE's spokeswoman Jay Jay Nesheim said on Tuesday "that the product [Playboy will ultimately release] is currently in development." She confirmed the product will include a variety of media -- including image files and some branded games -- and that it could be released fairly soon. According to Nesheim, the sale of this entertainment will be age-accessible (through credit cards) "much in the same way it is currently done on the Internet."

'A Tsunami of Porn'