SI today is debuting its previously announced documentary films initiative, SI Films, with a series of new projects and partnerships with Mandalay Sports Media and Velocity. SI Films, initially revealed in April at a Time Inc. NewFronts presentation, will be the sports media outlet’s home for documentaries and other video features. Two projects premiere today at a new dedicated SI Films channel at SI.com/Films: “Brett Favre: Life After the Game,” chronicling the life after football for the former NFLer, and “The Rise and Fall of the Danbury Trashers,” which is about a minor league hockey team owned by convicted trash czar Jimmy Galante.” The partnership with Mandalay Sports Media initially calls for producers Mike Tollin and Jon Weinbach to produce a project called “Patrick and ‘Zo” about the rivalry and friendship of former Georgetown stars and Basketball HOFers Patrick Ewing and Alonzo Mourning. Velocity, meanwhile, is developing within SI Films a new video franchise devoted to the greatest moments in sports. SI Films will continue to operate on a dual-track format in which both outside producers and internal talent will create content for the effort. “This is a natural outgrowth of our business, and the success we’ve already had creating video content,” said Time Inc. Senior VP/Video J.R. McCabe. With SI Films, the company enters a documentary space already occupied by rivals such as ESPN, HBO and others. But Time Inc. and SI execs said its existing brand around telling long-form stories will be a powerful attraction for users. “For more than 60 years, Sports Illustrated has built its brand on emotional storytelling, and SI Films will give us additional opportunities to reach a bigger audience on a new platform and continue on that stellar tradition,” said SI Group Editor Paul Fichtenbaum.
LATEST MOVE IN STRING OF ACTIVITY: SI Films will be an ad-supported venture, and some ad inventory does appear on the initial content. But SI is holding off on selling larger entitlements around SI Films after the initiative is further established. The debut of SI Films continues a run of activity for SI this year that also includes the creation of the SI Play unit within the youth sports and registration space, the debut of college football culture site Campus Rush and the purchase of the FanSided blog network.
