Melbourne, November 30 (ANI): Publishers of adult magazines are gradually witnessing a slow demise in their businesses, thanks to the unlimited moving pictures available on the Internet.

Magazines such as Playboy that reigned the previous eras are allegedly finding it hard to keep up with the net onslaught.

The sector was said to have received another blow with the revelation that Playboy Enterprises was to outsource the business operations of its namesake magazine over cost cutting after losing nearly 21 million dollars on the title in the last two years, reports the Australian.

Playboy mogul Hugh Hefner was purportedly looking at offers to sell the company, a move that would send a publishing era to its grave.

According to The Los Angeles Times, sales of the so-called “P-mags”, Australian Penthouse, published by Gemkilt, and ACP Magazines’ weeklies People and The Picture, were reaching new lows.

The latest audit purportedly showed The Picture averaging sales of about 63,000 copies an issue and People down to about 44,000 as against the figures of up to 190,000 a week and 250,000 a week respectively in the 80s and 90s.

Mark Fletcher, a newsagent and blogger (at newsagencyblog.com.au), said: “At the harder core end `adult’ is in serious decline. From a newsagents’ perspective it can’t survive because it doesn’t pay its way in rent,” he says.

“There are already stores that are keen to get out of the category and use the shelf space elsewhere.” (ANI)