NBC Sports Group and the Time Inc. Sports Group have struck a partnership to create a new televised, monthly newsmagazine show, to be called, "Sports Illustrated," and shown on the NBC Sports Network and NBCSports.com. The hour-long program will debut July 24 on NBCSN, and feature reporting and commentary from SI reporters. The show, representing a major venture for SI into television following numerous prior efforts around its Swimsuit franchise, will carry a presenting sponsorship from Lexus and be produced by Red Line Films. Future episodes will vary in whether they originate on NBC Sports' cable or broadcast outlets. "This is an exciting opportunity for further expand Sports Illustrated storytelling beyond the magazine and our digital offerings," said Time Inc. Exec VP and Sports Group President Mark Ford. For NBC, the deal represents additional programming as it seeks to bulk its stable of assets. "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," said NBC Sports President of Programming Jon Miller. SI plans significant integration between the new TV program and the magazine, as at least one featured subject in the show will be part of a SI edition publishing around that time. The two entities also plan substantial digital support for "Sports Illustrated," with additional material appearing on both SI.com and NBCSports.com.
