\u201cYou go to LeBron James\u2019 office in Akron, it\u2019s got his 30 covers on the walls,\u201d Dienst said. \u201cYou go to USC, they\u2019ve got 21 covers with their athletes and coaches all over their athletic department.\u201d<\/p>\n
Now a monthly magazine, the flagship business of Sports Illustrated is no longer the first stop for fans looking for game analysis or profiles of athletes, many of whom have asserted greater control over their images through social media and podcasts. <\/p>\n
Like other print magazines, SI has seen a sharp falloff in its circulation, currently at 400,000, down from 3 million in 2010. Authentic says SI has 52 million users a month on its web site and 21 million social media followers. ESPN had 229 million digital users in November.<\/p>\n
But the famous SI name still resonates with generations of consumers and Authentic has sought ways to capitalize on it, from selling replica covers to opening branded resort hotels in Chicago and Nashville. International editions of the magazine have been launched in Germany, China and Mexico, with plans to launch in France and the U.K. <\/p>\n
In January, Sports Illustrated launched its own free ad-supported streaming TV channel called SITV that features live shows with its journalists and includes films and shows from an archive stocked with documentaries and swimsuit issue specials going back decades. <\/p>\n
The channel, which along with the other SI assets is managed by New York-based Minute Media, will also carry live sports coverage including college basketball. While Minute Media did not reveal early viewership figures, the company said the audience for the channel has grown 60% since its launch. <\/p>\n
![\"Cincinnati](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1775391572_386_.jpeg\")
<\/p>\n
Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow on the cover of Sports Illustrated.<\/p>\n
(Clay Patrick McBride)<\/p>\n
The streaming channel is a major media initiative for brand that has seen more activity in other sectors. <\/p>\n
In 2023, Authentic put the SI name on Lunatix, a sputtering ticket marketplace. Now called Sports Illustrated Tickets, the business has signage deals with 13 venues around the world including a New Jersey-based stadium \u2014 the home of the New York Red Bulls soccer team. The service expects to generate $500 million<\/a> in revenue this year. <\/p>\n Authentic also uses Sports Illustrated-sponsored events such as the ones held at the Super Bowl to entertain clients for its other businesses and makes tickets available to the public. SI will host an event for Authentic at the Masters golf tournament in Augusta this week and has a permanent high-end, track-side hospitality space at Churchill Downs in Kentucky called Club SI.<\/p>\n Authentic specializes in acquiring and investing in famous retail properties that have foundered. The firm has acquired such names as the outerwear retailer Eddie Bauer, Brooks Brothers and Reebok, and in January took a 51% share in the fashion brand Guess. <\/p>\n ABG enlists outside operators to run the brands. Those operators pay an ongoing license fee to ABG, which also takes a cut of the revenues. <\/p>\n That was the plan when Authentic bought Sports Illustrated from Meredith Corp., now known as People Inc.<\/p>\n After the purchase, Authentic entered a $15-million-a-year licensing agreement with Arena Group (at the time known as Maven) to run Sports Illustrated. A New York-based digital media company, Arena operated such well-known titles as Men\u2019s Journal, Parade and TheStreet. But the partnership unraveled when Arena used AI for sponsored content on Sports Illustrated\u2019s website, which sounded alarm bells at the esteemed publication. <\/p>\n Sports Illustrated\u2019s 2026 Super Bowl party at the Cow Palace in San Francisco.<\/p>\n (Sports Illustrated)<\/p>\n![\"Sports](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1775391572_628_.jpeg\")
<\/p>\n