The entertainment arm of online gaming platform PlayTime has brought FHM Philippines back from an eight-year print silence, with Sparkle actress Sanya Lopez fronting a relaunch built for phones, podcasts and social feeds.

Key Takeaways

  • PlayTime Entertainment relaunched FHM Philippines on November 6 at Okada Manila, with Sanya Lopez on the November cover.
  • The title last printed in May 2018, when Summit Media closed its final six magazines.
  • New digital spin-offs include “FHM Afters: The Podcast” and “FHM Nights,” plus the return of the FHM 100 Sexiest Women list under a luxury tier called FHM World.
  • The company says the new FHM gives featured women control over concept and styling, and is open to featuring transgender women.

Related: 2012 FHM Top 100 Sexiest Women of the World

Sanya Lopez leads the November relaunch issue. Fellow Sparkle GMA Artist Center talents Faye Lorenzo, Vanessa Peña, Liezel Lopez, Analyn Barro and Arra San Agustin also appear inside, Philstar.com reported.

The launch took place at Okada Manila on November 6. PlayTime Entertainment, the company behind the revival, used the event to frame FHM as a digital-first brand rather than a newsstand product.

“This is very much the FHM of this generation. The way the audience is becoming digitalized, the way we consume content, how we engage with it, the new FHM is really built around that,” PlayTime spokesperson Adela-Mae Marshall said.

That digital push comes with two new formats: a podcast called “FHM Afters” and an event-style property called “FHM Nights.” FHM World, positioned as the premium tier, brings back the annual FHM 100 Sexiest Women ranking.

PlayTime did not say whether the November issue is sold in print, digital only, or both. It also did not disclose pricing, distribution partners, or who holds the FHM license in the Philippines.

Why an online gaming company now owns the FHM Philippines relaunch

The revival makes more sense once you look at who is paying for it.

PlayTime started as an online gaming platform. In December 2025, it created PlayTime Entertainment as a group holding company and moved its betting business into a separate unit, PlayTime Gaming, according to GMA News and The Philippine Star.

Since then, the group has bought its way into nearly every corner of Filipino pop culture. It launched talent arm PT IDOLS in January 2026, followed by PT Sports. It signed on as Miss Universe Philippines’ official entertainment partner, co-produced shows with ABS-CBN’s iWant, and became season presenter of NCAA Season 102, according to reports from Manila Bulletin, ABS-CBN, and Daily Tribune.

The most relevant deal for FHM came in August 2026. PlayTime formed PT Summit, a joint venture with the Gokongwei family’s Summit Media, InsiderPH and Manila Bulletin reported.

That matters because Summit Media published FHM Philippines for most of its local run. Neither company has said whether PT Summit has any role in the relaunch.

PlayTime president Crisanto Roy Alcid has been open about why the group is diversifying. In an interview with GMA News, he said gaming is not a dependable long-term revenue source, and that entertainment and media could eventually outgrow the group’s betting business over a 10- to 15-year horizon.

The market FHM left behind in 2018

FHM Philippines did not die because men stopped caring. It died because print economics collapsed.

In early 2018, Summit Media announced it would close its six remaining print titles, including FHM, Cosmopolitan, Preview, YES!, Top Gear and Town & Country, to become fully digital, according to Marketing-Interactive and GMA News. Actress Nathalie Hart fronted FHM Philippines’ final print cover in May 2018.

Even before that, the local edition outlived its parent. When FHM UK suspended operations in late 2015, the Philippine team told PEP.ph it had about 2.5 million monthly users and a weekly Facebook reach of 7 million.

Those numbers explain the bet. The brand still has name recognition among Filipino men in their 20s to 40s, and audiences that once bought magazines now scroll Facebook, watch YouTube, and stream podcasts. PlayTime already runs a live streaming operation on YouTube, according to Miss Grand International, which gives FHM a ready distribution pipe.

What the new FHM says it will do differently

PlayTime’s pitch rests on two editorial changes.

The first is consent and control. Marshall said the featured women now have a big say in how they are presented, with no concept or styling imposed by the magazine. The company describes the shoots as collaborative.

The second is inclusivity. Marshall said the new FHM is open to featuring transgender women, and Alcid backed that position on stage.

“We are all inclusive. Whatever is beautiful we will celebrate,” Alcid said.

Both promises are easy to make at a launch party. Readers will judge them by who appears on the next few covers and in the FHM 100 list.

The challenge

PlayTime must now show that a 2000s-era men’s magazine brand can earn attention against TikTok creators, OnlyFans-style platforms and free social content that did not exist when FHM ruled newsstands.

The company also faces a trust question. Its links to online gaming could make some advertisers and brand partners cautious, and it has not explained how the FHM business will be funded or measured. Readership targets, revenue figures and the issue’s circulation were not disclosed.

For now, the relaunch shows how far PlayTime is willing to go to turn betting money into a media empire. Reviving FHM, a title that Summit Media gave up on eight years ago, is its loudest move yet.

FAQ

Is FHM Philippines back? Yes. PlayTime Entertainment relaunched FHM Philippines on November 6, 2026, at Okada Manila, with a November issue and new digital formats.

Who is on the FHM Philippines relaunch cover? Sanya Lopez is the cover star. Faye Lorenzo, Vanessa Peña, Liezel Lopez, Analyn Barro and Arra San Agustin are featured inside.

Who owns FHM Philippines now? PlayTime Entertainment is running the relaunch. The company has not disclosed the licensing deal or whether its joint venture with Summit Media, the title’s former publisher, is involved.

What is PlayTime Entertainment? It is the entertainment holding company formed in December 2025 by online gaming platform PlayTime. Its gaming business now sits in a separate unit, PlayTime Gaming.

Is the FHM 100 Sexiest Women list coming back? Yes. PlayTime says FHM World, the brand’s luxury tier, will bring back the FHM 100 list. No date for the list has been announced.