Continuing its grand-scale pivot to video, Time Inc. has launched Sports-Illustrated TV, a $4.99-a-month streaming network that offers a mix of documentary, narrative and talk programming under the tagline of ‘Because you love sports’.
SI TV that joins Time Inc.’s previous OTT launch, the ad-supported People TV, will be available starting tomorrow to Amazon Prime members in the U.S. through Amazon Channels.
In the launch announcement, Time Inc. boss Rich Battista called the network “a broad slice of sports culture, complementing the pages of the magazine consumers have long loved. The brand’s unmatched storytelling is now available to audiences in an unparalleled holistic way through print, online, and on television.”
The network will offer 130 hours of on-demand programming and has deals in place for documentary projects with Mike Tollin and Jonathan Hock for documentaries in 2018.
Tollin has produced films like Coach Carter and Varsity Blues and in 2012 teamed with Peter Guber to launch Mandalay Sports Media. Hock has written and directed several docs under ESPN’s 30 for 30 banner.
Movies will also be part of the offering, a selection of sports titles including the first five Rocky films and documentaries like Racing Dreams.
Another element will be studio shows leveraging the magazine staff’s expertise and access to sports figures, with five original series focusing on lifestyle, soccer, gambling and the magazine’s own editorial history, including its covers.
