This article needs to be updated.(July 2020) |
Country | United States |
---|---|
Broadcast area | United States, Canada, Latin America, Europe, Japan, South Korea, Israel, United Kingdom |
Programming | |
Language(s) | English Spanish |
Picture format | 480i (SDTV) (Americas) 576i (SDTV) (Europe) 1080i (HDTV) (United States, Latin America and Russia) |
Ownership | |
Owner | Rainbow Programming Services (1980-1983, distribution until 1986) Playboy Inc. (1982-2011) Aylo (2011-present) [1] |
History | |
Launched | December 9, 1980 (as Escapade) January 21, 1982 (programming block) November 18, 1982 (TV channel) |
Former names | Escapade (1980-1982) The Playboy Channel (1982-1989) Playboy at Night (1989-1994) |
Links | |
Webcast | Live TV |
Website | Playboy TV |
Playboy TV (originally The Playboy Channel) is a pay television channel based in the United States.
The channel first launched on December 9, 1980, as Escapade by Rainbow Programing Services (a joint-venture of four cable companies, led by Cablevision). At launch, Escapade aired mostly R rated B movies. The channel broadcast five nights a week, Tuesday through Saturday, from 9:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. ET (or as early as 4:00 a.m. on some cable systems). Sunday and Monday nights were reserved for Rainbow's other new pay service, Bravo, which featured programming centered around the performing arts, foreign and arthouse films. The satellite time utilized by the two networks was subleased from the National Christian Network. [2] By July 1981, the service expanded to seven nights a week. [3]
In August 1981, Playboy Enterprises became half-owner of Escapade and announced a plan to produce original programming that reflected the contents of Playboy magazine beginning in early 1982. [4] On January 21, 1982, the Playboy Channel on Escapade debuted as a four-hour programming block. The first program was an interview with John and Bo Derek, followed by footage of January playmate Shannon Tweed, the West German adult movie Vanessa , and a magazine features including "Ribald Classics". [5] Over the months that followed, Escapade would gradually increase the amount of Playboy programming.
The channel officially relaunched as the Playboy Channel on November 18, 1982. [6] The original programming and style of the Playboy Channel was developed by Hugh Hefner, and producer Michael Trikilis. Playboy hired its own sales and marketing staff and launched the channel on several major multiple system operators. At the time of its launch, programming consisted of R-rated films plus a music video program, Playboy's Hot Rocks, based on the then-new cable channel MTV but with more explicit videos usually only seen at nightclubs. The channel was broadcast for only ten hours each day, from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. ET, during its first eleven years. In October 1983, Rainbow Media exited the partnership by selling its share to Playboy, but would continue to distribute the channel until 1986. [7] The channel re-launched as Playboy at Night on November 1, 1989. During this era, original programming contained NR-rated films. The network expanded its programming with the adoption of a 24-hour schedule and adopted its current name in 1994.
In 2008, the channel launched its HD simulcast feed under the name "Playboy TV HD".
In November 2011, Playboy Enterprises sold its ownership of its media properties (including the Spice Networks) to Manwin (later MindGeek and Aylo), who would operate them, including Playboy TV, under the "Playboy Plus Entertainment" subsidiary. [1] Although Playboy Enterprises would re-acquire their website, Aylo still continues operate Playboy TV under license.
In Spring 2023, Playboy TV launched on Tricolor TV.
Playboy TV was originally developed as a video version of Playboy magazine. Programming featured music reviews, celebrity interviews, men's fashion and segments on cars. It was a video extension of the magazine - an established lifestyle brand. Slowly the programming on the channel evolved to feature more attractive women and eventually soft core features. This then evolved to what would become more standard television programming with a focus primarily on a male demographic.
In 2010, Playboy TV unveiled a new program slate, [8] which featured series tailored to both male and female viewers. [9]
TNT is an American basic cable television channel owned by the Warner Bros. Discovery Networks unit of Warner Bros. Discovery that launched on October 3, 1988. TNT's original purpose was to air classic films and television series to which Turner Broadcasting maintained spillover rights through its sister station TBS. Since June 2001, the network has shifted its focus to dramatic television series and feature films, along with some sporting events, as TBS shifted its focus to comedic programming.
USA Network is an American basic cable television channel owned by the NBCUniversal Media Group division of Comcast's NBCUniversal. It was originally launched in 1977 as Madison Square Garden Sports Network, one of the first national sports cable television channels.
A&E, previously known in full as the Arts & Entertainment Network, is an American cable and satellite television network and the namesake property of A&E Networks, a joint venture of Hearst Communications and the Disney Entertainment business segment of the Walt Disney Company.
AMC is an American basic cable television channel that first launched in 1984, and is the namesake flagship property of AMC Networks. Since 2002, the full name has been de-emphasized as a result of a major shift in its programming.
PLBY Group, Inc. is an American global media and lifestyle company founded by Hugh Hefner as Playboy Enterprises, Inc. to oversee the Playboy magazine and related assets. Its headquarters are in Los Angeles, California.
Playboy Radio was an internet radio station originally launched on XM Satellite Radio on September 1, 2002. Its programming was dedicated to similar topics and celebrity personalities found in its parent publication, Playboy Magazine. It was XM's first premium station — offered à la carte on top of the base XM subscription price. Playboy Radio gained a healthy following, including a dedicated group of Night Calls fans that established a strong online presence, although some complained the station offered too little content for the monthly premium.
Late night television is the general term for television programs produced for broadcast during the late evening and overnight hours—most commonly shown after, if not in competition with, local late-evening newscasts; programs that have been showcased in the daypart historically encompassed a particular genre of programming that falls somewhere between a variety show and a talk show. Late-night shows predominantly cater to night owls, people suffering from insomnia, shift workers with irregular schedule assignments, younger male audiences and college students, along with spillover audiences through viewers of entertainment and news programs aired earlier in the evening.
Sundance TV is an American pay television channel owned by AMC Networks that launched on February 1, 1996. The channel is named after Robert Redford's character in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and, while it is an extension of Redford's non-profit Sundance Institute, the channel operates independently of both the Institute and the Sundance Film Festival.
AMC Networks Inc. is an American entertainment company headquartered in 11 Penn Plaza, New York.
The Spice Networks are a group of television channels operated on a pay-per-view basis that broadcast pornographic content. The channels are owned by the adult entertainment conglomerate Aylo, but they were originally launched by Playboy Enterprises in March 1994. They are available via cable, IPTV, and satellite in over 72 countries including the United States and formerly New Zealand.
Latin Lover is a joint telenovela production between Venevisión (Venezuela), Iguana Producciones (Peru), and Playboy Entertainment Group. It centers around the production of a fictional telenovela, and follows the lives of the actors and production staff involved in the show, as well as other tangential characters. The show features a large main cast of at least 23 credited performers. The series had two versions, an erotic version broadcast by Playboy TV and a second version adapted to over-the-air TV standards.
Satellite News Channel (SNC) was an American short-lived news-based cable television channel that was operated as a joint venture between the ABC Video Enterprises division of American Broadcasting Companies, Inc. (a.k.a. ABC) and the Group W Satellite Communications subsidiary of Westinghouse Broadcasting Company (a.k.a. Group W). Designed as a satellite-delivered cable network, the channel is best remembered as the first 24-hour news cable competition to the Cable News Network (CNN). SNC's headquarters were based in the New York City suburb of Stamford, Connecticut.
In the United Kingdom, pornography is regulated by a variety of laws, regulations, judicial processes, and voluntary schemes. Pornographic material generally has to be assessed by regulators or courts to determine its legality. British censorship laws with regard to pornography have often been some of the most restrictive in Western Europe.
Brazzers is a Canadian pornographic video production and distributing company headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, and legal domicile in Nicosia, Cyprus. With an online network consisting of thirty-one hardcore pornography websites, the company's slogan is "World's Best HD Porn Site!" and features paid subscription-based content.
The original phase of Viacom Inc. was an American mass media and entertainment conglomerate based in New York City. It began as CBS Television Film Sales, the broadcast syndication division of the CBS television network in 1952; it was renamed CBS Films in 1958, renamed CBS Enterprises in 1968, renamed Viacom in 1970, and spun off into its own company in 1971. Viacom was a distributor of CBS television series throughout the 1970s and 1980s, and also distributed syndicated television programs. The company went under Sumner Redstone's control in 1987 through his cinema chain company National Amusements.
In the Philippines, pornography is not specifically defined in Philippine law, but the Revised Penal Code of the Philippines considers certain acts to be obscene or indecent and these are prohibited as immoral doctrines, obscene publications, indecent shows, or other similar material or portrayals that advocate human immorality, obscenity, and indecency. Philippine legislation penalizes participation in these unlawful activities, and Republic Act No. 7610 extends punishment to those involved in child abuse, child exploitation, child prostitution and discrimination of children.
Home Video Channel (HVC) was a British cable television channel that began operating in 1985, broadcasting low-budget films between 8:00 p.m. and midnight. Film genres included horror, action, adventure, science fiction, and erotica. In 1992, a second channel, The Adult Channel, was launched by HVC's owner, Home Video Channel Limited (HVCL). It broadcast erotic films and softcore pornography.
Aylo is a Canadian multinational pornographic conglomerate owned by Canadian private equity firm Ethical Capital Partners. It is primarily involved in internet pornography, operating a number of video sharing websites, and pornographic film studios such as Brazzers, Digital Playground, Men.com, Reality Kings, Sean Cody, and WhyNotBi.com, among others. Aylo's headquarters are located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, but the company's corporate structure is divided among entities domiciled in a number of other countries.