SI is creating a new unit called SI Films that will be dedicated to developing documentaries and other video features. SI already has been creating documentaries and other long-form video programming for some time, and it recently won a Webby Award for its feature on homeless athletes, "Young, Gifted and Homeless." But the new venture formalizes that effort into a dedicated franchise of SI, more squarely places the brand in competition with ESPN, HBO and other producers of sports documentaries, and adds to other existing SI digital video efforts such as its daily program SI Now and its various initiatives each year around the Swimsuit franchise. SI made the SI Films announcement this morning as part of parent group Time Inc.'s NewFronts in N.Y. "This is a next logical step for SI, which has been in the storytelling business for more than 60 years," said SI Group Editor Paul Fichtenbaum. "Sports Illustrated Films will be the home for compelling long-form video, allowing us to fulfill the brand promise and expand what we do in a unique way that resonates with the audience." SI Films will exist within Time Inc.'s overall video program with oversight from Fichtenbaum and Time Inc. Exec Producer for News & Sports Ian Orefice.
THIS IS 40: Time Inc. also is collaborating with Jay Z' digital venture Life + Times to create a new video series called "40/40 Live." The series will feature what it calls "unpredictable and unfiltered conversation with tastemakers from across sports and music." WNBA Shock G Skylar Diggins, who is repped by Jay Z' Roc Nation Sports, will host "40/40 Live" from Jay Z' 40/40 Club in N.Y.
