Meredith Closes Sale Sports Illustrated to Authentic Brands for USD 110m.

MANews-(C)2009-2019

29 May 2019 - US-based brand development, marketing and entertainment company Authentic Brands Group has finalised the USD 110m purchase of the intellectual property of Sports Illustrated from US media and marketing company Meredith Corp. (NYSE: MDP), the company said.

This acquisition adds a new vertical to ABG's growing platform and portfolio, which currently generates over USD 9.3bn in global retail sales annually.

Through this acquisition, ABG forges a partnership with Meredith to build a global platform that converges the worlds of sports, culture and entertainment.

ABG assumes the marketing, business development and licensing functions for the Sports Illustrated intellectual property and brand, while the print magazine and SI.com will maintain editorial independence and continue to operate under a leadership of Meredith and editor-in-chief Chris Stone and publisher Danny Lee.

As the most-read sports magazine in the world, Sports Illustrated has an audience of more than 120m consumers.

The purchase includes SI's associated brands including Sports Illustrated, Sports Illustrated Kids, Sportsperson of the Year, Sports Illustrated Swimsuit, SI and SI TV.

This transaction does not include the FanSided digital platform, which Meredith is currently in the process of selling.

ABG also acquires the rights to over 2m images as part of Sports Illustrated's archive of owned photography. ABG assumes the marketing, business development and licensing functions for the Sports Illustrated intellectual property and brands.

Meredith will pay ABG a licensing fee to operate the Sports Illustrated print magazine and SI.com for a minimum of two years.

Meredith acquired Sports Illustrated as part of its purchase of Time Inc. on January 31, 2018. Shortly thereafter, Meredith announced it was selling certain Time Inc...

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