Home US Sports Illustrated is SAVED by 10-year deal after change in publisher

Sports Illustrated is SAVED by 10-year deal after change in publisher

by Jack
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The famous American sports magazine Sports Illustrated will continue to print after a change of publisher
  • The outlet’s previous publisher missed a quarterly licensing payment of $3.756 million
  • Arena Group executives laid off employees later this month, according to reports
  • DailyMail.com provides all the latest international sports news

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Sports Illustrated was saved as licensing giant Authentic struck a 10-year deal with digital media company Minute Media to continue publishing the magazine/website, two months after massive layoffs and controversy over the AI have plunged its future into doubt.

Monday’s announcement comes after Authentic ended its publishing agreement with The Arena Group, which obtained the rights to publish SI editorial content in 2019 under the name theMaven, Inc., in January, following to a missed quarterly license payment of $3.756 million.

Later that month, Arena Group executives told employees they would stop printing the magazine after its May issue, according to The New York Times.

Today, new publisher Minute Media, best known for its sports sites The Players’ Tribune and FanSided, announced it has entered into a long-term partnership with Authentic to “pave the way for the future of the SI brand.”

“Sports Illustrated is the gold standard for sports journalism for nearly 70 years in print and digital media. The weight and power of this distinction cannot be underestimated. At Minute Media, our focus will be on translating this legacy into new, emerging channels improving visibility, commercial viability and lasting impact, while ensuring the IS team is inspired to thrive in this new media era ”, founder and CEO of Minute Media. Asaf Peled said in a statement.

The famous American sports magazine Sports Illustrated will continue to print after a change of publisher

The famous American sports magazine Sports Illustrated will continue to print after a change of publisher

The magazine's editorial operations were under threat while still under the management of former publisher The Arena Group.

The magazine's editorial operations were under threat while still under the management of former publisher The Arena Group.

The magazine’s editorial operations were under threat while still under the management of former publisher The Arena Group.

As part of the deal, Authentic will also acquire a stake in Minute Media.

Additionally, some of the SI employees who were laid off by Arena Group are expected to return, although it is unclear how many, according to the New York Times report. Minute Media will begin operating the magazine this week.

In November last year, a science and technology news media Results published by futurism alleging that SI published articles generated by AI and credited to authors also generated by AI.

The latter practice apparently extended to their profile photos, which the website said came from online marketplaces selling such photos. After Futurism contacted The Arena Group, the magazine reportedly removed some of the authors involved and republished their articles under other AI-generated authors with notes denying the involvement of its staff.

Sports Illustrated is known for its features and racy swimsuit issue (photo: Beyoncé)

Sports Illustrated is known for its features and racy swimsuit issue (photo: Beyoncé)

Sports Illustrated is known for its features and racy swimsuit issue (photo: Beyoncé)

In response to the report, an SI spokesperson claimed that the affected articles were product reviews written without AI involvement by AdVon Commerce, a third-party company that they said used pseudonyms to “protect privacy authors” and with whom she had already severed her ties.

Meanwhile, the magazine’s writers and editors have sharply criticized the alleged practices.

“We demand answers and transparency from Arena Group management about what exactly was published under the SI name,” the Sports Illustrated union said in a statement at the time.

“We demand that the company commit to adhering to basic journalistic standards, including not publishing articles written by computer by fake people.”

In addition to the layoffs at SI, The New York Times sports department was disbanded in January, while The Messenger closed later that month.

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