Sports Illustrated and Turner Sports Announce New Digital Partnership

Time Inc. and Turner Broadcasting System have announced the formation of a strategic digital partnership between Turner Sports and Sports Illustrated to create a new sports web site.

The companies said the agreement aligns two of Time Warner’s primary sports assets, capitalizing on each company’s core strengths to create an online sports powerhouse with new revenue and marketing opportunities for both portfolios.

The combination marries the wealth of stories, perspective and photos from SI with Turner’s digital media and sales expertise, resources, video sports rights and video production.

Sports Illustrated will create all editorial content across each of its platforms: the flagship magazine, its websites, mobile and the recently launched tablet version of the magazine.

Under the new agreement, Turner Sports will be responsible for business and technical operations, ad sales, product management and marketing for SI.com and Golf.com, which will be added to Turner’s portfolio of 19 digital sports and entertainment sites.

The two organizations will collaborate on multiplatform sales across their collective properties. Additionally, Turner and Sports Illustrated will collaborate on the production of new mobile products and applications.

“The Sports Illustrated brand and award winning journalists complement and enhance Turner’s portfolio of sports offerings and reflects our combined commitment to bring fans greater content across a multitude of platforms,” said David Levy, president of sales, distribution and sports, Turner Broadcasting System, Inc.

“The deal also provides greater opportunity for advertisers to expand their reach and activate innovative marketing opportunities to access more potential consumers across multiple platforms. By leveraging Turner’s vast digital sports and entertainment portfolio, we expect to provide additional display, sponsorship and video advertising opportunities for SI.com and Golf.com.”

Editor of The Sports Illustrated Group, Terry McDonell, said SI’s journalism already powers extremely successful digital platforms that lead in every category from breaking news to community, creative design, info graphics and photography.

“That makes this partnership the next step in an evolution for both SI digital and Turner that will make both stronger. Our brands will click naturally and strategically into place and everyone will win.”

Turner Sports digital media capabilities includes the NBA Digital portfolio, nascar.com, tbs Hot Corner on MLB.com, pgatour.com and PGA.com, as well as a strategic relationship with Yahoo! Sports. In addition to its digital portfolio Turner Sports broadcasts a number of events year round on TBS, TNT and truTV, including the NBA, MLB, NASCAR, the PGA Championships and, beginning in 2011, the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship.

The Sports Illustrated Group includes Sports Illustrated, SI.com, Golf Magazine, Golf.com, SI Golf Plus, SI Presents, SI Kids, SI International, SI Books, SI Mobile, SI Swimsuit, consumer products and experiential marketing.

(C) NewsRoom America 2010