Sports Illustrated’s SI TV app, which initially was only available on limited platforms starting last November, will now be available direct to consumers via Roku, iOS, Android and web browsers. The announcement comes shortly after ESPN made its highly publicized on-demand OTT debut with ESPN+.
“As a sports fan, I am excited that there is such a healthy and a lot of different ways to engage with sports content,” Josh Oshinsky, head of programming for SI TV at Meredith Corp., told Deadline. “I don’t think it’s an either-or between ESPN+ or BRLive or us. We do things that they don’t.”
Indeed they do. SI is hoping to stay true to what made the magazine so successful for many years. That means deep diving pieces on athletes which brings them, and the sports they play, to life. The 50+ year-old brand plans to show long-form documentaries and full-length films like Rocky.
At $4.99/month, the SI TV app hopes to further differentiate itself from the OTT competition by offering its app ad-free, at least for the moment. Meredith Corp., SI’s parent company, is exploring various additional monetization routes, according to the Deadline report.
Here’s what else you need to know
-The direct-to-consumer launch coincides with the NFL Draft, and it’s not by coincidence. SI TV is planning on rolling out various specials surrounding one of football’s biggest days of the year. One of the first episodes of the documentary series, Under the Cover, will feature a sit down with potential top-five pick, Saquon Barkley.
SI TV goes "Under the Cover" with top @NFL draft pick, @Saquon Barkley. Some say he’s the perfect Running Back, he says he’s so much more. #SITV is now LIVE on #fuboTV! Start streaming today. @SInow pic.twitter.com/YIK1ScfdPN
— fuboTV (@fuboTV) April 18, 2018
-SI TV will also feature a number of weekly studio shows including The Crossover, Planet Futbol and The Line. They’re also planning the release of their first feature-length documentary, We Town, which is made specifically for SI TV.
-What’s the biggest thing that makes SI TV different than, say, ESPN+? It won’t be broadcasting any live games — something that most other OTT sports platforms will get tangled up in.
SportTechie Takeaway
Sports Illustrated remains a historic brand in sports media. It rose and dominated for many years through written word, but has since added graphic-based and video offerings. Even brands who are not video-first, like ESPN, and who never had a “cord” to begin with are adapting to the wave of cord-cutting and on-demand television.