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Sports Illustrated's streaming service adds MLB games and shows
Sports Illustrated TV just became considerably more intreresting if you're a baseball fan... provided you don't need live games, anyway. The streaming service has forged an agreement with MLB that provides access to the league's back catalog of games and shows. In some cases, this will include offering whole games -- an Ace's Choice series will show games chosen by the likes of Nolan Ryan and Pedro Martinez.
Sports Illustrated's standalone streaming service is now available
Sports Illustrated's television offering (SI TV) launched last November on Amazon Channels for $5 per month. Plans to expand the service to Roku, iOS, Android and web browsers have been in the works, and it's available on the web now, with other platforms ready to go within the next week.
Sports Illustrated TV will start streaming on more platforms
Sports Illustrated launched its $5-per-month streaming service last fall exclusively through Amazon Channels, and now it's preparing to open up for a wider release. Soon, users will be able to subscribe directly and watch on Roku, iOS, Android and web browsers. The modestly-priced service won't livestream games to compete with the Disney-backed ESPN+, which just went live, or the upcoming Bleacher Report Live. Instead, Sports Illustrated TV offers its studio shows, sports films and the brand's lauded documentaries.
Sports Illustrated TV streams movies, shows and more for $5 a month
With Disney kicking off its own competitively-priced streaming content service in 2019, many media brands are jumping on the bandwagon. Tomorrow, Time Inc will launch one of its own: Sports Illustrated TV, which will initially be available only on Amazon Channels. The $5-per-month network will start with 130 hours of content, including studio shows, sports films and Sports Illustrated's lauded documentary series.
Google Assistant will tell your kids a bedtime story
Kids don't quite have the diction that adults do, which can make it hard even for us humans to understand them. Google knows this and has tweaked Assistant and Home to better pick up what your munchkins are laying down. The search juggernaut has also partnered with a number of providers for kid-specific things like stories from Disney and Sports Illustrated for Kids among others as well as simple games (like musical chairs). The just-announced Family Link will let you set up Google accounts for your youngsters under 13 too. The updates will be rolling out later this month.
Sports Illustrated captured a full Mount Everest climb in VR
Thanks to virtual reality, viewers have the opportunity to visit places they would like never have the chance to see in real life. Sports Illustrated and Endemol are teaming up for another one of those VR experiences and it's set to debut next year. The duo will document what Time, Inc. (SI's parent company) is calling "first-ever bottom to top climb of Mount Everest in virtual reality."
Time's 'Life VR' will 'showcase the world through virtual reality'
NextVR just announced its virtual reality broadcasting tech will bring live concerts home in a partnership with Live Nation, and today it's announcing a team-up with Time Inc. Life Magazine has historically provided a peek into different areas of the world via photojournalism, and the new Life VR project will offer "immersive, next-level storytelling" from Time Inc. media properties like Time Magazine, People, Sports Illustrated and Entertainment Weekly. Word of the launch came at today's NewFronts event in NYC, and the two say it should result in three to five VR events each year, available in the NextVR app.
Sports Illustrated puts you inside the new Swimsuit Issue
Babes, bikinis and ... virtual reality? It's an equation that pretty much elicits a "no duh!" from anyone in the room. Which is why when I meet Chris Hercik at Time Inc. headquarters in New York, he can barely suppress his glee, and for good reason. As creative director of Sports Illustrated, Hercik's overseen every cover of the magazine, including its annual Swimsuit issue, since 2002. But this year, in addition to its big 2016 Swimsuit cover model reveal (Ronda Rousey graces one of three covers), the iconic brand is doing things differently: It's launching a suite of mobile VR experiences designed to put you on the beach for some one-on-one time with the models. "For the first time ever, we're going to be able to answer the question that I always get and a lot of the people on staff always get, which is: 'What is it like to be on set for a Sports Illustrated photo shoot?'" says Hercik.
120 Sports streams its live news and analysis on Apple TV
With the backing of Sports Illustrated, MLB, NHL, the PGA tour and more, 120 Sports started streaming free live sports news and analysis on the web and mobile devices last June. Now, the digital network is making the leap to set-top boxes, starting with Apple TV. The channel delivers 8 hours of live coverage every day, with the "120 Morning Run" from 8-10 AM ET during the week. Football fans can take a long lunch for "120 Football Fix" from 12-2 PM ET, and if you miss a live broadcast, there's a library of videos for on-demand viewing, too.
Save 'Sports Illustrated' articles anywhere you want, automatically
What was that? You wanted to get some recipes going for news-content automation in addition to push notifications to grab an umbrella for tomorrow? Well, lucky you because Time Inc. announced it's adding IFTTT (If This Then That) support for five of its publications: Entertainment Weekly, InStyle, People, Sports Illustrated, and of course Time. The outfit says it's using in-house tech to make it easier to automate stuff like sending all NFL articles to Pocket so you can read 'em on the subway, for example. Another is getting a weekly movie summary sent straight to your email from Entertainment Weekly. This update benefits both Android and iOS users alike and it's available right this minute. Now its just up to you to see if too many cooks can spoil these recipes.
Apple begins marketing the iPhone 5s in magazines
MacRumors tips us off to the fact that Apple has begun advertising the iPhone 5s in various magazines. Up until recently, there hasn't been much advertising in the way of the iPhone 5s. Indeed, most iPhone advertising over the past few weeks has focused on the iPhone 5c with a series of really great and delightful commercials. Apple has also been advertising the iPhone 5c heavily via billboards in large cities like Chicago, San Francisco and New York. As for the 5s, MacRumors notes that the following ad appears on the back of this week's edition of The New Yorker. The tagline reads: Your finger is the password. Touch ID was created not only to protect all the important and personal information on your phone, but to be so easy to use, you'll actually use it. Its state-of-the-art technology learns your unique fingerprint, so you can unlock your phone or even authorize purchases with just a simple touch. Touch ID. Only on iPhone 5s. It stands to reason that with the holiday shopping season slowly creeping up on us, Apple will soon begin to ramp up its iPhone 5s marketing. This is admittedly nothing more than speculation, but perhaps Apple has been slow to roll out iPhone 5s ads because supply continues to remain strained across the country. After all, if you take a look at the fine print in the advert above, you'll note that it says "Limited Availability" -- though perhaps that's in specific reference to the gold model. Similar ads have reportedly been spotted in other high-circulation magazines such as Entertainment Weekly and Sports Illustrated.
TIME calls for Instagram pics as Sports Illustrated uses them in print
TIME magazine is looking for Instagram photos to showcase them in a piece on mobile technology. They're looking for a variety of images from daily life. To join the project, add the hashtag #TIMEwireless to Instagram submissions. Make sure you're not infringing on anyone's rights in the process. Instagram photos need to have a caption that include your name, where the image was taken, and a geotag of the location. Sports Illustrated performed the experiment as well, with the results hitting newsstands this week, Mashable reports. In its print piece, it commissioned a photographer to shoot photos with his iPhone 4S at baseball games and spring training sessions.
Time Inc. aims to please advertisers and your eyes, making all mags tablet-friendly by year's end
Do you love reading Time magazine on your tablet, but wish you had the same luxury with all of its related offerings? Oh boy, do we have fantastic news for you. As it stands, select Time Inc. publications are supported on the iPad, Android Marketplace, TouchPad, and Next Issue Media's store, but now the company has announced plans to make all 21 of its mags available on tablets by the year's end. Furthermore, support for the Nook Color will be added by the end of August with digital versions of Time, Sports Illustrated, People, and Fortune. Current subscribers to the print editions won't be left out either when it all rolls out, as they'll be able to opt-in for free upgrades with digital access. The decision is apparently tied to increasing "digital reach" for advertisers, but hey, ad-support isn't totally lame. Right? Full PR just past the break.
Time Inc., Apple to offer free iPad downloads to print magazine subscribers
After months of speculation, Time Inc. has finally inked a deal with Apple that will allow print magazine subscribers to access the company's iPad editions for free. Beginning this week, subscribers to print versions of Sports Illustrated, Fortune, and Time will be able to download the iPad counterparts at no cost, directly within the magazines' apps. Today's deal comes just a few months after the company struck a similar arrangement with HP, but iPad users, unlike TouchPad readers, still won't be able to purchase exclusively digital subscriptions to Time Inc.'s stable of publications. It's no secret that Time Inc. wants to incorporate digital subscriptions to its iPad model, but negotiations have hit some roadblocks, largely thanks to disputes over how Apple shares subscriber data. Publishers say they need that data to apply the TV Everywhere model to magazines, but Apple thinks subscriber information should only be shared on an opt-in basis. We don't really expect Apple to budge any time soon, but execs at Time Inc. seem optimistic, telling the Wall Street Journal that today's deal proves that the two parties are "moving closer" on the issue -- apparently not close enough, however, for Apple to comment.
Sports Illustrated 'Swimsuit in 3D' video now available on PlayStation Network, Qriocity
With the advent of the internet, the release of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issue isn't quite the event it once was, but even an old dog can learn new tricks and the magazine has partnered with Sony to issue a 3D video version this year. It's currently available (also in 2D, if that's your preference) for download to your PlayStation 3 ($9.99 purchase / $4.99 rental, and there's a short free preview avialable as well) or other Sony network connected hardware with Qriocity. Other than the behind the scenes 3D video, there's also twelve hours of other Swimsuit issue content from this and previous years and some exclusive PSN themes.
Time inks deal with HP to bring magazine subscriptions to the TouchPad
Time Inc. has been trying to work out a deal on tablet magazine subscriptions for some time now, and it's just made a fairly big move in that direction with the help of HP. It confirmed at its "Think Beyond" event today that it has teamed up with the publisher to offer subscriptions to some of its magazines on the TouchPad when it launches this summer. That will apparently include Sports Illustrated, Time and People initially, with Fortune and other Time Inc. titles to follow further on down the road, according to AdWeek. Still no word on pricing, but HP promises they'll deliver an "immersive reading" experience. Update: Palm's Lisa Bewster has confirmed via Twitter that this deal also involves Time getting its big wish: subscribe to the print magazine and you'll get full access to the tablet version. For more on all of HP's webOS announcements today, click here!
Sports Illustrated: Cost-cutting has hindered iPad app
If you're a regular reader of the Sports Illustrated (SI) publication for the iPad, you may have noticed something unusual / different in the latest issue. The SI iPad edition is now only viewable in landscape mode, no longer supporting portrait mode as it did in previous issues. If you hold your iPad in landscape mode and then turn it to portrait mode the message, "This page is intended to be viewed in landscape mode. (There's nothing wrong with your iPad -- just turn it horizontally.)" appears. Guest editor of the SI iPad edition, Josh Quittner (Time Magazine), comments on this change in his personal blog. Quittner says that he believes the optimal viewing experience for photo-driven magazines, like SI, is in landscape mode. He also adds that by not editing in two formats (landscape and portrait) some innovative new features have been introduced, like "Super Loooooong View" - bringing a "reveal" effect to photos "akin to centerfold, or poster view." Quittner points out that another advantage of a single format issue is its reduced size. Coming in about 30% smaller than previous issues, SI can be downloaded in under a minute. But Quittner points out that download time isn't the only consideration, here. With other magazine publications reaching and even exceeding 500 megabytes, Quittner asks, "Who wants to store media that big on a 16 gigabyte device?" Finally, Quittner does admit that economy comes into play, too. He says that by implementing the landscape-only format their work load is reduced by at least a third. "Why not add more designers?" Quittner responds, "Well, if we were able to build a real business, with subscriptions that offered our iPad versions to readers at a reasonable price, that would be a no brainer. But we can't yet, so the best approach for us is to experiment with the format, marshal our (human) resources and start building products on other platforms that will allow us to scale up as our business grows." You may remember this video from way back in December of 2009 demonstrating Time Inc.'s vision for a tablet-based version of SI - prior to the announcement of the iPad. Back then, Time Inc. would have users download the SI app from the iTunes Store, but pay Time Inc. directly for further issues. Naturally, Apple didn't like this. Currently, Apple doesn't allow publishers to offer subscription based content on the iTunes store. But if rumors of the iNewsstand are to be believed, it's going to be pretty interesting to see how all this pans out. [Hat tip to AppleInsider]
Time Warner CEO hints at tying print, tablet magazine subscriptions together
We'd already heard that Time Warner was looking to offer magazine subscriptions on the iPad (and running into some difficulty doing so), and it now looks like it might have some even grander plans. As hinted at by Time Warner CEO Jeff Bewkes in an earnings call earlier today, the company is apparently looking at extending its TV Everywhere concept to magazines, which would give customers that subscribe to the print editions of Time, Sports Illustrated and other publications access to the digital version as well. Of course, Bewkes didn't offer any indication as to exactly when that might happen, but he did say that the "key to it all" is to give subscribers access to content "over all broadband devices as soon as possible," which is certainly promising.
Time, Inc., Apple at odds over App Store subscriptions
Remember this video demonstrating Time, Inc.'s vision for a tablet-based version of Sports Illustrated (SI)? It preceded the iPad's release and got many fans excited for the future. The real thing isn't quite so impressive, but the demo demonstrates the publisher's enthusiasm for the emerging platform. Unfortunately, that enthusiasm is turning into frustration. All Things Digital is reporting on Time's trouble with getting a mutually-agreed upon subscription model past Apple. Writing for All things D, Peter Kafka notes that Time wanted to launch a subscription-based version of SI on the App Store, only to have it rejected by Apple. Time would have users download the app from the store and then pay them directly for future issues. Apple didn't like the idea, and Time was forced to sell single copies of the magazine. Right now when you launch the app, you're presented with a number of issues that can be bought, in-app, one at a time. All of the magazines I've read on my iPad, like WIRED, Outside and Popular Science, use in-app purchases. We'll see what happens as this new union of publisher and distributor grows.
Time Inc. execs said to be frustrated over lack of iPad magazine subcriptions
Not interested in paying $4.99 for an issue of a magazine on your iPad? Well, Time Inc. execs don't seem to be too keen on the idea either. As Peter Kafka of All Things Digital reports, Time was planning to launch a subscription version of its Sports Illustrated iPad app last month in which you'd pay Time directly, but Apple apparently rejected the app at the last minute and left Time with no other choice than to sell issues one at a time for the usual $4.99. What's more, some Time Inc. execs have reportedly "been going nuts" over the situation, which is complicated even further by the fact that some companies like The Wall Street Journal do have a different arrangement for billing customers directly. As for Apple, it simply notes that it supports two platforms for publishers: the "open" HTML5, and the "curated" App Store, while Time insists that it will offer in-app subscriptions sometime "later this year."
