SAN FRANCISCO (Dow Jones) - Playboy Enterprises Inc. said Wednesday that it will launch a digital edition with its October issue.

The digital Playboy, produced in association with digital-publishing services provider Zinio Systems, will be identical to the print edition, the company said. "We see this is a natural extension of the Playboy brand," said Christie Hefner, chief executive of Playboy (PLA), in a statement.

Hefner added that giving Playboy increased distribution and worldwide access over the Web will boost its advertisers' reach, and "provide additional advertising sales opportunities as we are able to meet the growing demand of companies to market online by offering ad-sponsored links."

The digital edition will debut Sept. 13, the same day the October issue's print version appears on newsstands.

Playboy, now in its sixth decade, has faced increasingly tough competition in the online world, where downloads of sexually charged content are a leading source of revenue.

Print rivals such as Maxim and FHM have also been strong challengers to Playboy.

Shares of Playboy Enterprises were unchanged at $13.44 in midday trading.

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

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