Israeli-Founded Platform Acquires Sports Illustrated Publishing Rights

Israeli-created sports platform Minute Media has acquired the publishing rights to Sports Illustrated, reaching a deal with the Authentic Brands Group, the owners of the famed New York-based magazine.

Founded in 2011 by Asaf Peled, Gilad Beiman, and Yuval Larom, Minute Media is a global digital media publishing company focused on content and advertising solutions. It already owns a stable of digital media publications, including The Players’ Tribune, 90min, 12up, DBLTAP,  Mental Floss, The Big Lead and FanSided.

Minute Media says it will oversee all digital and print operations for the Sports Illustrated portfolio, which also includes Sports Illustrated Swimsuit and Sports Illustrated Kids. The new publisher says it will advance technological innovation at SI, allowing it to reach a greater global audience while honoring its legacy.

Authentic removed the rights from previous SI publisher the Arena Group at the start of the year, after the latter missed quarterly payment of some $3.75 million. In return, Arena carried out a mass layoff of SI staff and said it would produce the final edition of the magazine in May.

Minute Media has reportedly said it will rehire some of those let go by Arena, which will receive a stake in the new publisher’s company as part of the agreement.

“Sports Illustrated is the gold standard for sports journalism and has been for nearly 70 years across both print and digital media. The weight and power of that distinction cannot be understated,” said Peled, who is Minute Media’s CEO.  

“At Minute Media, our focus will be to take that legacy into new, emerging channels enhancing visibility, commercial viability and sustainable impact, all while ensuring that the SI team is inspired to flourish in this new era of media,” he said.