Earnings call transcript: Playboy Q2 2025 sees licensing revenue surge

Playboy Inc. reported its second-quarter earnings for 2025, revealing a notable increase in revenue, primarily driven by a significant boost in licensing revenue. Despite the positive revenue surprise, the company posted a larger-than-expected loss per share, which might have tempered investor enthusiasm. After the earnings release, Playboy’s stock price remained relatively stable, with a slight increase of 1.23% in aftermarket trading, closing at $1.65. According to InvestingPro data, the company’s overall financial health score is rated as WEAK, with particularly concerning metrics in profitability and cash flow. The stock has shown significant volatility, with a beta of 2.44, making it more than twice as reactive to market movements as the average stock.

Key Takeaways

• Revenue increased by 13% year-over-year, surpassing forecasts.
• Licensing revenue surged by 105%, marking a key growth area.
• The company posted a loss per share of $0.08, double the expected loss.
• Playboy is transitioning to an asset-light, licensing-focused business model.
• The stock price saw a modest aftermarket increase of 1.23%.

Company Performance

Playboy’s performance in Q2 2025 was marked by a strategic pivot towards a licensing-focused business model, which has begun to yield positive results. The company reported a 13% year-over-year increase in revenue, supported by a remarkable 105% surge in licensing revenue. This growth aligns with the company’s efforts to leverage its brand across various industries, including gaming, beauty, and fashion. InvestingPro data reveals an impressive gross profit margin of 67.16%, though the company carries a significant debt burden of $200.31 million. For deeper insights into Playboy’s financial health and growth potential, investors can access the comprehensive Pro Research Report, available exclusively to InvestingPro subscribers.

Financial Highlights

• Revenue: $28.1 million, up 13% year-over-year.
• Earnings per share: -$0.08, compared to the forecast of -$0.04.
• Adjusted EBITDA: $3.5 million, a $6.4 million improvement from the previous year.
• Cash on hand: Over $30 million.

Earnings vs. Forecast

Playboy’s actual earnings per share of -$0.08 fell short of the forecasted -$0.04, resulting in a 100% negative surprise. In terms of revenue, the company exceeded expectations, reporting $28.1 million compared to the forecast of $26.85 million, a positive surprise of 4.66%. This mixed performance highlights the challenges and opportunities the company faces as it transitions its business model.

Market Reaction

Following the earnings announcement, Playboy’s stock experienced a modest increase of 1.23% in aftermarket trading, reaching $1.65. This movement is within the stock’s 52-week range of $0.52 to $2.44, reflecting cautious investor optimism. The slight uptick suggests that while the revenue growth was well-received, the larger-than-expected loss may have limited more substantial gains. Based on InvestingPro’s Fair Value analysis, the stock appears to be fairly valued at current levels. Despite recent challenges, the stock has delivered an impressive 132.49% return over the past year and a 13.01% gain year-to-date, demonstrating significant momentum despite its volatile nature.

Outlook & Guidance

Looking ahead, Playboy has set ambitious targets, with revenue forecasts for the upcoming quarters showing continued growth. The company projects revenue of $29.42 million for Q3 2025 and $33.06 million for Q4 2025. The strategic focus remains on expanding licensing agreements and exploring new opportunities in underserved categories. Analyst targets compiled by InvestingPro range from $1.20 to $3.00 per share, with a consensus recommendation leaning towards Buy. Subscribers to InvestingPro can access 10 additional key insights about Playboy’s financial health and growth prospects, along with detailed analysis of its market position and future potential.

Executive Commentary

CEO Ben Cohen emphasized the company’s strong financial position, stating, "We are now in a strong financial position with over $30,000,000 in cash on hand." He also highlighted the strategic use of content as a marketing tool, saying, "We use content as that marketing vehicle." Financial Executive Mark expressed confidence in the company’s future, noting, "We continue to expect to see growth in the back half of the year."

Risks and Challenges

• Ongoing litigation with former licensees could impact financials.
• Market saturation in key licensing categories might limit growth.
• Macroeconomic pressures could affect consumer spending.
• Transition to an asset-light model may face operational challenges.

Q&A

During the earnings call, analysts inquired about the success of the paid voting contest, which has already exceeded expectations. Questions also focused on the integration of international licensing partners and the company’s confidence in ongoing legal cases. Executives reiterated their expectation for continued growth in the Honey Burdette brand and expansion plans for Playboy hospitality venues.

Full transcript - Playboy Inc (PLBY) Q2 2025:

Conference Operator: Greetings, and welcome to the Playboy Second Quarter twenty twenty five Earnings Conference Call. At this time, all participants are in a listen only mode. A question and answer session will follow the formal presentation. As a reminder, this conference is being recorded. It is now my pleasure to introduce Rob Finks with FNK IR.

Thank you.

Rob Finks, Investor Relations, FNK IR: Thank you, operator, and good afternoon, everyone, and welcome to Playboy’s second quarter earnings call. Hosting today’s call is Ben Cohen, Playboy’s Chief Executive Officer. Before turning the call over to Ben, I’d like to remind everyone that the information discussed today is qualified in its entirety by the Form eight ks and Form 10 Q filed today by Playboy, which may be accessed on the SEC’s website and Playboy’s website. Today’s call is also being webcast, and a replay will be posted to the company’s Investor Relations website. Please note that statements made during this call, including financial projections or other statements that are not historical in nature, may constitute forward looking statements.

Such statements are made on the basis of Playboy’s views and assumptions regarding future events and business performance at the time they are made, and we do not undertake any obligation to update these statements. Forward looking statements are subject to risks, which could cause the company’s actual results to differ from its historical results and forecasts, including those risks set forth in the company’s filings with the SEC, and you should refer to and carefully consider those for more information. This cautionary statement applies to all forward looking statements made during this call, and we ask you not to place undue reliance on any forward looking statements. During the call, the company may refer to non GAAP financial measures. Such non GAAP measures are not prepared in accordance with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles, but a reconciliation of non GAAP financial measures to the most directly comparable GAAP measures is available in the earnings release that Playboy filed with its eight ks earlier today and it’s also in its Form 10 Q, which was also filed today.

With all that said, I’d now like to turn the call over to Ben. Ben, the call is yours.

Ben Cohen, Chief Executive Officer, Playboy: Thank you, Rob. We have made significant progress in our evolution to a licensing focused asset light business. The second quarter results are proof of just how far we’ve come. We delivered a significant financial improvement in the quarter, but we also laid an important groundwork for the next leg of growth as we continue to sharpen our focus around the Playboy brand. Revenue climbed 13% year over year with licensing revenue surging 105% and our adjusted EBITDA was $3,500,000 a $6,400,000 positive swing compared to a loss of $2,900,000 in last year’s second quarter.

Our net loss included $1,900,000 in impairment charges related to the sublease of our Los Angeles office and $2,100,000 related to a one time settlement of present and future licensing agent commissions. Excluding those charges, our net loss would have been approximately $3,700,000 and our earnings per share would have been negative $04 Additionally, the quarter’s results included $1,300,000 in incremental legal expenses related to litigation with two former licensees that we terminated for contractual breaches. Excluding those costs, adjusted EBITDA would have been approximately $4,800,000 a positive swing of more than $7,700,000 year over year. We are now in a strong financial position with over $30,000,000 in cash on hand as of today, and a clear plan to continue reducing debt and lowering our cost of capital. This strength gives us the flexibility to invest confidently in the next stage of Playboy’s growth.

That next stage centers on returning to the roots that made Playboy an icon as an aspirational men’s lifestyle brand. Working with one of the top brand agencies in the world, we’re focused on bringing the brand to life through compelling content and unforgettable experiences. The Playboy magazine is back, not as our core revenue engine, but as a powerful driver of brand relevance. Earlier this year, we relaunched the magazine and our next issue is scheduled to be released in November. The landmark issue will feature 12 Playmates in one edition, a first in their history, and they’ll also start in our 2026 calendar.

Both of those are available for presale on our website today. We’re reintroducing the Playmate of the Month and have launched the Great Playmate Search, a global paid voting contest that’s already exceeded our expectations. These contests will run quarterly, delivering fresh content, fan engagement, sponsorship opportunities and meaningful revenue. Experiences are another pillar of our growth. We’re planning to relocate our corporate headquarters to Miami Beach, a vibrant city that has become the hub of our content creation and event strategy.

We’re also developing a new Playboy Club concept there in partnership with a leading hospitality company, blending a luxury dining experience with an exclusive private club designed to be as iconic as the original Playboy Mansion. We believe experiences will become another significant revenue driver for us in the future as we expand this concept to major markets around the world. Our licensing business is thriving with new agreements in gaming, beauty and grooming, energy drinks and fashion. Remains a cornerstone guaranteeing $300,000,000 in minimum royalties over fifteen years for our digital business. And our Honey Bodette business and brand continues to improve.

Q2 revenues rose 14 with gross margins expanding and brand perception strengthening. Thanks to new collections, higher full price sell through and a refreshed customer experience online and in store. Put simply, Playboy is stronger, nimbler and better positioned than it was a year ago. Looking ahead, I am confident that we might have the right we have the right strategy, the right team and the right momentum to keep building on this success. With that, operator, I will open it up to Q and A.

Conference Operator: Thank you. We will now be conducting a question and answer session. Your first question comes from George Kelly with Roth Capital. Please go ahead.

George Kelly, Analyst, Roth Capital: Hey, everyone. Thanks for taking my questions. Hey, Ben. A few for you. Maybe I’ll start with paid voting.

Saw the announcement a few weeks back. I was curious if you could give us a little bit more just about what the opportunity is there for the company and what the registrations have looked like so far? And what is your expectation for repeating a similar kind of contest in 2026?

Ben Cohen, Chief Executive Officer, Playboy: Great. Thanks for the question, George. Look, paid voting, this is our first time doing this. What I would say, without getting into specific numbers, because they’re in the multiple thousands already. But we signed up in the first few days, more than 50% of what we are expecting for the whole entire sign up period, which is eight weeks.

And we haven’t turned on any marketing yet. So there’s various things that we will be testing with this first contest. We plan on doing this for every single issue of the magazine going forward. This contest, we actually have two contests going on. One for is a Playmate of the Month and the second is for an inside cover show.

But more importantly, what we’re testing is how do we integrate this whole entire global Playboy ecosystem. So we have signed up our international additions, are licensing deals as affiliates to bring in women from around the world into the contest. We integrated with PSD, a significant licensing partners of ours for underwear, where they are marketing this contest and also participating in the giveaway and the price selection. And we did the same thing with Honey Burdette. So I’m excited.

Based on other contests, this could be millions and millions of dollars of revenue for us. We have to execute on that. And we’ve done this in a model that’s very similar to licensing, where we partnered with a technology partner, and we have an economic arrangement very similar to what our licensing business is on a gross margin basis.

George Kelly, Analyst, Roth Capital: Okay. Okay. That’s helpful. Thank you. And then another topic I wanted to cover is in your letter, you mentioned, I think it was two new license deals in gaming, one in beauty and grooming and another in beverages.

And I think in your prepared remarks, you said there was another one. I forget the category. And so I was curious if you could just talk to the materiality of those deals and the timing. And what’s like not to ask for specific guidance for 2026, but like as you look at these deals, I know this year has benefited from ByBorg. But going forward, what’s just a good sort of medium term growth expectation in that business?

Ben Cohen, Chief Executive Officer, Playboy: Sure. So I unfortunately not going answer that question. Because as I’ve said historically, licensing is a step function. And we have to be very careful with the brand. And as we’re focusing on really the relevancy of the brand, that we make sure we do the right deals.

And so there’s a lot of deals out there to sign. It’s just a question of do you want to sign those deals, because there’s brand dilution. So we’re very focused right now on the health of the brand. We have the company financially speaking, in a really good place. And so we’re not forced to do deals.

And what’s more important is doing the right deals that we can build meaningful partnerships with moving forward. The deals that we signed on an annual basis are in excess of 7 figures. And so they’re multiple year deals. So it’s significant for us. And I think we’ve only scratched the surface.

I think there’s a lot more that we have in our pipeline, and a lot of other categories that we are targeting to continue to grow that licensing business. But I don’t want to get into 2026. We’re not even we’re just barely halfway past the midway point of 2025. And it will depend on when and the number of deals that we get done. As we approach the year end, we can talk more about that.

But I think that one thing I can tell you, and this speaks to why we’re investing in content, it’s our marketing engine for the brand and always has been. This is not a company that goes and spends millions of dollars in what I would say is paid marketing. We use content as that marketing vehicle. We have some huge stars potentially lined up for next year, centered around the magazine. And that by itself brings an amazing amount of audience to the business.

And those things can have meaningful impacts on future licensing business as well. When we did this last time, and we invested in content, we saw a significant positive downstream impact to our licensing business. And that’s why the business strategy we’re embarking is so key.

George Kelly, Analyst, Roth Capital: Understood. Understood. I had to try, Ben. But just a couple more quick ones. First on the hospitality venue in Miami Beach, wondering how you’re structuring that and what stage of development that are those plans?

Ben Cohen, Chief Executive Officer, Playboy: So again, I think I’m going sort of say high level again. We are very focused on remaining asset light with high margin revenues. As I don’t want to get into the specifics of how we’re structuring it, but we have a space identified. We are working through plans with a partner, an operating partner on that. And also, what would the programming around that be?

Miami will most likely be the first, but we actually have interest in other cities as well for different Playboy hospitality venues. And so, to the extent we’re successful with this one, and we are moving the corporate headquarters to Miami, we’re excited to be in a very pro business environment, especially coming out of Los Angeles. And I think Miami is a city that embodies the core tenants of Playboy. I think this could be a huge opportunity for us, should we get the deal done and open. I think there’s a lot of excitement down there for Playboy.

And I think there’s a lot of excitement for our Playboy club. Our biggest thing and why we’ve been so patient with this is it all comes down to making sure we have the right partner, right? There’s been tons of opportunities to do Playboy Hospitality. They just haven’t been the right partner. For us, picking the right partner when a consumer can come in and truly experience in real life, the Playboy brand, the partner is more important than anything.

George Kelly, Analyst, Roth Capital: Okay. And then last question for me is just about the licensing commissions settlement. What does that do for the expense structure on the licensing business going forward? Anything to note there?

Mark, Financial Executive, Playboy: No, I would, George, it’s Mark. It obviously will bring down China. We’ve talked about the percentage commissions that we pay. And so it’s, I would say, it’s material, but not material enough for us to talk about in 2025.

Ben Cohen, Chief Executive Officer, Playboy: Yes. I mean, I think, George, just for competitive reasons, we’re not going get into details, but we were able to reduce our expenses moving forward at a significant discount to what we thought they would be. And so we are opportunistic in doing that this quarter to improve our results in future quarters.

George Kelly, Analyst, Roth Capital: And that the changes start when? Start in the 2025?

Ben Cohen, Chief Executive Officer, Playboy: The changes will start this quarter and moving forward. It’s more complicated than that because of the accounting of how it’s accounted for. But for us, an opportunistic deal and the right thing to do moving forward. As we continue to look for ways to enhance our margins, and we’re doing that across the board. As we’ve talked about historically, we’ve been spending a lot of time with AI, we think there’s a lot of things that we can do operationally with AI to enhance the margins.

We’re actually using about to use AI as part of the Playmate voting contest as well. There’s a lot of things where you can integrate various AI applications to become more efficient in what we’re doing.

George Kelly, Analyst, Roth Capital: Okay. I’ll hop back in the queue. Thank you very much.

Ben Cohen, Chief Executive Officer, Playboy: Thanks, George.

Conference Operator: Alex Fuhrman with Loop Capital. Please proceed.

Alex Fuhrman, Analyst, Loop Capital: Hey, guys. Thanks very much. Thanks for taking my question. Wanted to ask about Honey Burdette here. Nice to see that brand is back to strong growth and the gross margins are up compared to last year.

Can you just kind of level set for us? What’s kind of the base case heading into the next couple of quarters? Comparisons get a lot more difficult. Should we expect the brand to continue to grow over the next couple of quarters? Or is that just going to be hard as you start to lap more difficult comparisons?

Mark, Financial Executive, Playboy: Alex, it’s Mark. No, we continue to expect to see growth in the back half of the year. And that’s if you really look at what’s underpinning that, our retail business at full price is going very strong. And the comp that we saw for that business, had stated it was about 28%. And that was not an easy comp against what we did because we had talked about how online had been and really been where we’d seen the pressure.

So we can say we expect that business continue to grow going forward.

Ben Cohen, Chief Executive Officer, Playboy: I mean, improved gross margins of what 200 points over the quarter, 100 points over the quarter. So the business is strong. We’ve actually integrated that into the Playmate contest as well. And so they’re actually marketing the contest to their creators where have the winner getting a year of free Honeybird ad, there might be a modeling opportunity for the winner with Honeybird ad. And I think this goes to the larger strategy, which is how do we take these various components of the business and integrate them all together so that hopefully, the Playmate contest, which we have thousands and thousands of them who have signed up, they might also be getting an email from Honeybird at with the ability to buy Honeybird at a slight discount for new customers.

And so, what’s so exciting for us as we move forward is bringing these various components of the business together to try to benefit each other.

Alex Fuhrman, Analyst, Loop Capital: Okay. That’s really helpful. And then, Honeybird, I mean, obviously, total company here showed pretty nice profitability for the total quarter. It sounds like it would have been a lot stronger if not for the legal expenses and some of the other kind of onetime things that you had. Those legal expenses, is that pretty much over now?

Should we expect that to be a drag on third quarter EBITDA as well?

Ben Cohen, Chief Executive Officer, Playboy: So, we can’t predict when cases will be resolved. But I would say, in the second quarter, we had two major litigations ongoing. One of those where we are done with the litigation portion of it, but we still have one ongoing. We feel very confident in our cases against both of our former partners. You will start to see you will continue to see some drag on the business.

I just don’t know for how long depending on when that case is eventually heard. But we are prepared to defend our trademarks. To the extent we win, we could see significant settlements in those cases.

Alex Fuhrman, Analyst, Loop Capital: Okay, that’s very helpful. Thank you.

Rob Finks, Investor Relations, FNK IR: Ben, George touched on this a little, but the research team at Jefferies wanted to know, as you’ve signed several new deals with partners in categories like gaming and beauty, Can you help investors think about the TAM there and the opportunity Playboy has for these types of deals going forward?

Ben Cohen, Chief Executive Officer, Playboy: Sure. So as I mentioned, I think George answered or asked this question, but we signed multiple new deals in the quarter. Those deals in total exceed 7 figures on an annual basis. I would tell you, we are just scratching the surface. I think there’s a lot of categories we’ve new categories we’ve identified and extensions of categories like gaming, where we are significantly underpenetrated for what this brand means in that area, that we can continue to grow each of those categories moving forward.

Again, we want to be strategic in the deals that we do. We want to make sure we do the right deals that are not just an MG, but provide upside above that, picking the right partners. And we just need to be patient. I think that part of the brand work we’re doing, and part of the content strategy that we’re embarking on will help continue to grow the markets that we are or categories that we’re already in, plus open up new categories for us moving forward. Any other questions, operator?

Conference Operator: Are no further questions. I’d like to turn the floor over to Ben for closing remarks.

Ben Cohen, Chief Executive Officer, Playboy: As I said in our opening remarks, we’re very excited about where the business sits financially, the growth prospects that we have and the new legs of growth we have both from content and experiential in addition to the continued growth in our licensing business. We appreciate you all listening for our second quarter results and look forward to talking to you in November for our third quarter results. So thank you for joining today.

Conference Operator: This concludes today’s teleconference. You may disconnect your lines at this time and thank you for your participation.

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