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Time Inc.’s Sports Illustrated Group today debuted “Tech & Media” (SI.com/tech), a new multi-platform vertical that will explore the rapidly evolving and all-important presence of technology in the sports world. In addition to SI’s award-winning reporting and analysis, the new venture will feature daily contributions from SportTechie, a leading site covering the global sports and tech scene. Also anchoring the vertical will be Richard Deitsch’s “Media Circus” columns and breaking sports media news. Deitsch, who is a writer/reporter for SI and an adjunct professor at Columbia’s Graduate School of Journalism, is the preeminent journalist on the sports media beat and is renowned for breaking news and his access to every major sports media decision-maker, producer, and A-list talent.
“From video replay to VR, from social media to wearables and the total transformation of the full spectator and athlete experience, the crossroads of sports, media and technology is alive with innovation and is an integral part of the sports landscape today,” said Chris Stone, Sports Illustrated Editorial Director. “These are deep-dive stories that no one is telling and we are going to cover them across all of our platforms and in the best tradition of Sports Illustrated. This will only be bolstered by our alliance with SportTechie, the incredibly smart upstart site that will stay one step ahead of the competition and build on the mission to help sports fans understand where technology is taking the future of sports.”
Multimedia coverage of game-changing innovations, products and strategies and the latest from Deitsch on emerging trends in sports media will run across SI’s digital and social ecosystems. Content will be rich in long and short form video with social media heavily integrated into the storytelling. The vertical will also feature native digital content presented in imaginative and compelling packages.
With this new dedicated editorial platform, sports fans and industry insiders will find the latest on tech innovations, ideas and gear transforming fan experiences, player performance and the sports industry as a whole. SI and SportTechie will deliver a mix of multi-platform content daily, including new offerings like a social-first series spotlighting innovators from the sports and tech industries. Long-form features will explore topics not previously introduced to the sports public yet essential to understanding where sports is going: stories such as the development of FreeD, which could dramatically change instant replay for viewers and pro sports leagues by providing precise 360-degree views of the action; the proliferation of sports betting mutual funds; the 3D printers that are building cartilage that is saving the careers of teen athletes; and how the newest, youngest influencers in sports are leveraging digital media to build the industry’s biggest, best audiences. This new partnership will also reach more broadly across the SI Group with collaborations slated for The MMQB and other channels beginning this fall.
SportTechie launched several years ago and has rapidly become one of the industry’s leading destinations for coverage of the technology of sports. Established as required reading for many top executives in sports business and tech, the growing operation will complement the established SI Group in new and innovative ways.
“We are thrilled to enter into this robust partnership with such an esteemed outlet. In conjunction with Sports Illustrated, my co-founder, Simon Ogus, and I look forward to amplifying the great work of our writers and the stories of the burgeoning sports technology space across our combined global audiences and platforms,” said Taylor Bloom, SportTechie’s CEO and co-founder. “Technology will never stop evolving sports, and we look forward to remaining at the forefront of that evolution.”