ABG to Create Sports Illustrated Studios Through Joint Venture

Sports Illustrated is jumping headlong into the entertainment business. Authentic Brands Group, which purchased the storied magazine for $110 million last May, has partnered with 101 Studios to form Sports Illustrated Studios, a vehicle to develop, produce and distribute long-form film, television and audio content. This is not the first time the magazine has attempted to move into the entertainment space. In 2015, it created Sports Illustrated Films, but that was “more limited in scope,” creating short films and other content for SI TV that no longer exists, according to AGB. SI Studios is much bigger and broader, focusing on long-form content for streaming services, movie theaters, cable channels and others. The content for SI Studios will be based on the magazine’s present and future work and will focus on what it deems to be the most important and memorable stories in sports throughout its 65-year history. It will include film, documentaries, scripted and reality TV, miniseries and podcasts created by writers, directors and producers who are considered experts at storytelling with an affinity for sports. That will include the writers who currently contribute to the magazine who are “key and integral” to the success of the publication, according to David Glasser, chief

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