FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, July 2nd, 2012

“SPORTS ILLUSTRATED” PRESENTED BY LEXUS AN HOUR-LONG SPORTS MAGAZINE TV SHOW SET TO PREMIERE JULY 24 ON NBC SPORTS NETWORK

New York, NY (July 2, 2012) – The NBC Sports Group and the Time Inc. Sports Group will partner to produce “Sports Illustrated,” presented by Lexus, a monthly, hour-long sports magazine TV show. The announcement was made today by Jon Miller, President of Programming, NBC Sports and NBC Sports Network and Time Inc. Sports Group President Mark Ford. It was also announced that Lexus will be the program’s presenting sponsor.

 

Sports Illustrated” presented by Lexus debuts Tuesday, July 24, 9:00 p.m. on NBC Sports Network. The show will deliver the magazine’s DNA of award-winning storytelling through feature segments, original reporting and commentary from SI’s trustedjournalists. It will also tap into the SI Vault to spotlight great stories from the past, updating our favorite characters and events. Emmy Award-winning Red Line Films has been tapped to produce the show

 

“Sports Illustrated is an iconic brand and the gold standard in long-form journalism,” said Miller. This programming fits incredibly well with our rich history of storytelling, and partnering with Sports Illustrated for this show adds even more quality programming to NBC Sports Group’s growing portfolio.”

 

The premiere episode will air just three days prior to the Opening Ceremony from the 2012 London Games with subsequent new episodes originating on either NBC Sports Network or NBC. At least one featured subject from the show will be chronicled in the magazine’s current issue and additional editorial vehicles across SI.com and NBCSports.com will surround and amplify each new episode.

 

“This is an exciting opportunity to further expand Sports Illustrated storytelling beyond the magazine and our digital offerings,” says Ford. “We have a terrific partner in the NBC Sports Group and are incredibly optimistic about the show’s potential for our franchise and for sports fans.”

 

“Sports Illustrated’s writing and photography have been intrinsically tied to television sports coverage for nearly 60 years,” said Terry McDonell, Time Inc. Sports Group Editor. “Working with the NBC Sports Group and Red Line Films takes us to a new level.”

 

The following is the show’s schedule (All times ET):

Episode #1       July 24                         9:00 p.m.         NBC Sports Network

Episode #2       September 12             9:00 p.m.         NBC Sports Network

Episode #3       October 13                          2:30 p.m.             NBC Sports

Episode #4          November 3                       2:30 p.m.             NBC Sports

Episode #5          December 13                     9:00 p.m.             NBC Sports Network

“Sports Illustrated” Presented By Lexus                                                                                                         -2-

 

About NBC Sports Group

When the Comcast-NBCUniversal transaction was completed in January 2011, the broad reach and storied history of NBC Sports united with Comcast’s 24/7 ability to super-serve fans to create the NBC Sports Group. The sports media company consists of an array of broadcast television, cable television and digital sports assets, including NBC Sports & Olympics, NBC Sports Network, Golf Channel, 11 Comcast SportNets (regional sports networks), and their respective digital properties. Together, the assets of the NBC Sports Group possess an unparalleled collection of television rights agreements, partnering with some of the most prestigious sports properties in the world: the International Olympic Committee and United States Olympic Committee, the NFL, NHL, PGA TOUR, PGA of America, USGA, Churchill Downs, MLS, Tour de France, French Open, IndyCar, and many more.

 

About Sports Illustrated

The Sports Illustrated franchise is anchored by the weekly magazine—the most respected voice in sports journalism, reaching an audience of 30 million – and www.SI.com, the magazine’s 24/7 sports news website that delivers more than 300 original stories to its users each week.  The franchise also includes Sports Illustrated Kids (www.sikids.com), a monthly magazine targeted to kids age 8 and up; GOLF Magazine and www.Golf.com; www.FanNation.com, a social networking and sports-news aggregation platform; SI Presents, the magazine’s specialty publishing division; as well as SI Books, SI Pictures, SI Productions, SI Digital and SI Events.  Founded in 1954, Sports Illustrated is a division of Time Inc., the world’s leading magazine publishing company and a subsidiary of Time Warner.