New York & Hong Kong (February 24, 2016) – Time Inc. (NYSE:TIME) today announced a wide-ranging partnership with ASN Ltd. to develop a Sports Illustrated sports broadcasting and digital network across Asia. The new alliance will rebrand the Hong Kong-based, Pan-Asian ASN and ASN2 pay TV sports channels, companion websites and mobile apps to “Sports Illustrated/Sports Illustrated 2.” The partners will also collaborate on daily programming development, coverage of global sporting events and expansion of worldwide distribution across linear networks, SVOD, OTT, digital, mobile and emerging platforms and technologies. Sports Illustrated/Sports Illustrated 2 in Asia is scheduled for a spring 2016 debut.

The partnership leverages Time Inc.’s access, video, technology, marketing and international expansion initiatives with ASN’s well-established presence and growing popularity in the region. Time Inc. will also provide the infrastructure technology for the networks’ websites and mobile apps that will power the launch and scalability of the initiative, and the two companies will work to cultivate new marketing and advertising sales opportunities.

“This groundbreaking partnership speaks to the power of all our brands—in this case Sports Illustrated—and enables us to build a significant international presence across new platforms,” said Steve Marcopoto, President, Time Inc. International. “Our partners at ASN have built a strong foundation, and together we look forward to creating a differentiated and compelling sports network in the most populous region in the world.”

The new Sports Illustrated/Sports Illustrated 2 networks will feature a heavy mix of event coverage and original video programming from SI Group brands (SI, SI Kids and FanSided) surrounding live—and in some markets, exclusive—broadcasts of many popular sports leagues and events, including the Super Bowl, Stanley Cup finals and March Madness. Popular video franchises such as the award-winning Underdogs series and SI Films will be heavily featured on the network, along with local adaptations featuring powerful stories from the region.

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

ASN debuted in 2008 as the region’s first 24/7 Pan-Asian HD sports network featuring live US sports content. The two English-language channels ASN and ASN2 reach 29MM homes via 20 leading operators in 12 territories, including Hong Kong, the Philippines, Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand. The network has rights deals for the NFL, NHL, NCAA football and basketball, March Madness and NASCAR, among other content partnerships.

“We are very excited to join forces with one of the most revered sports media brands in the world to build a full-fledged TV, web and mobile network,” said Tom Kressner, CEO and Founder of ASN. “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-caliber sports content to more platforms and in more local languages than ever.”

SI TV is part of a sweeping series of new products and innovations extending the Sports Illustrated brand to millennial sports fans across their preferred platforms and devices. These include the formation of Sports Illustrated Play, a new business devoted to youth and amateur sports; the acquisition of FanSided, a millennials-focused digital sports network of 300+ blogs; the creation of the Sports Illustrated Films production unit, Campus Rush, a new content vertical devoted to the culture and lifestyle of college sports; and Sports Illustrated Overtime, a new branded content studio.

On the new partnership with ASN, Time Inc.’s Chief Technology Officer Colin Bodell said, “The combination of compelling sports content and technology being provided by Time Inc. is enabling a swift launch and establishes the company as a provider of turn-key solutions for new and emerging markets.”

Time Inc. International manages 147 licensing deals in 48 countries or regions, including brands such as InStyle, Fortune and People. Sports Illustrated has licensed local print editions in China (+ web) and India. Golf has licensed print editions and websites in Australia, China, Korea, Malaysia and Taiwan (print only). Marcopoto, recently appointed to the newly created position of President, Time Inc. International, is expanding Time Inc.’s business portfolio in markets outside the United States through digital, video and TV platforms, partnerships, acquisitions, licensing and off-channel commerce.

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About Time Inc.

Time Inc. (NYSE:TIME) is one of the world's leading media companies, with a monthly global print audience of over 120 million and worldwide digital properties that attract more than 150 million visitors each month, including over 60 websites. Our influential brands include People, Sports Illustrated, InStyle, Time, Real Simple, Southern Living, Entertainment Weekly, Travel + Leisure, Cooking Light, Fortune and Food & Wine, as well as more than 50 diverse titles in the United Kingdom, such as Decanter, Horse & Hound and Wallpaper*. Time Inc. is home to celebrated franchises and events, including the Fortune 500, Time 100, People’s Sexiest Man Alive, Sports Illustrated’s Sportsperson of the Year, the Food & Wine Classic in Aspen, the Essence Festival and the biennial Fortune Global Forum. Hundreds of thousands of people attend our live media events every year. We have been extending the power of our brands through various investments and acquisitions, including the formation of Sports Illustrated Play, a new business devoted to youth and amateur sports, and the acquisition of inVNT, a company that specializes in live media. We also provide content marketing, targeted local print and digital advertising programs, branded book publishing and marketing and support services, including subscription sales services for magazines and other products, retail distribution and marketing services and customer service and fulfillment services, for ourselves and third-party clients, including other magazine publishers.

About ASN

ASN debuted in 2008 as the region’s first 24/7 Pan-Asian HD sports network featuring live US sports content. The two English-language channels ASN and ASN2 are carried by 20 leading pay-tv operators in 12 territories, including Hong Kong, the Philippines, Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand. The network has rights deals with the NFL, NHL, NCAA football and basketball, March Madness and NASCAR, among other content partnerships.

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