“There are only two overseas versions of the magazine currently produced, one in China and other in South Africa so our first challenge was to persuade Time Inc. that India was a market with potential for a magazine such as this,” said Richard Downey, publishing director, Dennis Media Transasia. “I believe that there is a big gap in the market for a quality monthly sports magazine, and that is the gap that Sports Illustrated is aiming to fill.”
Though Sports Illustrated stands to face competition from various direct and indirect sources such as other men’s magazines, national dailies, TV channels and sports websites, Downey is confident of its performance in India. “Sports Illustrated is a recognised brand in India. People know that anything produced under that brand will be of the very highest standard editorially and in its production values,” he said. “We will offer greater analysis, more depth to our writing and a different way of looking at the world of sports. The standard of photography that we will be publishing and the amount of depth that we can give to our features will be unmatched anywhere else.”
While the magazine will be distributed through Media Transasia’s nationwide distribution network, the company has also entered into a distribution partnership with Reebok wherein Reebok stores across the country will display ‘Sports Illustrated’ copies in 100 handpicked outlets. The magazine primarily targets 25-45 year-old male sport fans.
The company has appointed Sundeep Misra as Sports Illustrated’s editor-in-chief. Misra has over 15 years of sports journalism experience, most recently as the sports editor of NewsX TV channel. “Also, with regular contributors such as Sourav Ganguly, Farokh Engineer and Indian golf pro Shiv Kapur on board, we have already set the standard very high,” added Downey.
While the content’s focus will be on cricket, the magazine will also cover other sports such as Indian football, horse racing, Formula One, English Premier League, golf and tennis. “With Indian sportsmen and women making their mark on the world stage in sports from boxing to badminton, from chess to golf we can cater for this growing demand for information,” added Downey.
The rate card page for the OBC (outer back cover) cover is Rs 5.25 lakh.