Time Inc, ASN partner for Sports Illustrated Asian TV network


Details

Rebecca Hawkes

| 25 February 2016




Hong Kong-based TV network ASN is joining forces with Time Inc to bring Sports Illustrated to television and Internet-enabled screens across Asia in the next few months.



The alliance will rebrand ASN and ASN2 pay-TV sports channels, companion websites and mobile apps to Sports Illustrated and Sports Illustrated 2. The partnership will also develop programming together, as well global sporting events coverage and the expansion of the channels’ linear and digital prescence.

Original video from Sports Illustrated Group brands such as SI, SI Kids and FanSided, will join live broadcasts on the channels of sports leagues and events including the Super Bowl, Stanley Cup finals and March Madness. Other content includes video franchises such as the series Underdogs and local productions.

Time Inc will provide the infrastructure technology for the network’s websites and mobile apps, and the companies will collaborate on marketing and advertising sales initiatives.

“There is tremendous potential for Sports Illustrated to flourish as a global sports brand. This exciting partnership will see our sports properties heavily integrated in a region of the word where the appetite for premier global sports coverage is exploding and growth opportunities abound,” said Rich Battista, EVP / President Entertainment & Sports Group and Video.

ASN already has relationships with pay-TV operators in 12 territories, including Hong Kong, the Philippines, Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand, with rights deals for the NFL, NHL, NCAA football and basketball, March Madness and NASCAR.

Tom Kressner, CEO and founder of ASN, added: “We feel that the partnership with Time Inc is a recognition of our position as the ‘Home of American sports in Asia’. In the coming months, we will bring an unparalleled amount of high calibre sports content to more platforms and in more local languages than ever.”