How Minute Media is streamlining the portfolio

To accommodate Sports Illustrated and its related properties, Minute Media folded titles from both parties into one another.

The Minute Media franchise The Big Lead, for instance, which chronicles sports media, will be sunset as its staff of four are integrated into Sports Illustrated, according to Cardenas.

At the same time, Minute Media is rebranding FanNation, which it acquired along with Sports Illustrated, into On SI, which will bring the niche fandom closer to the core brand. The new title also helps distinguish On SI from FanSided, a Minute Media property with a lookalike name and similar content offering.

The new Sports Illustrated and SI Swim websites will also enable the properties to make full use of the backend monetization capabilities Minute Media has built out across its portfolio. 

The titles will also be able to take advantage of the video inventory Minute Media gained access to through its $150 million acquisition of STN Video in January.

“The moves enable two lesser-known sites to draft off the good reputation of Sports Illustrated, an established brand that has fallen on some hard times of late,” Shah said. “That means a better chance of getting on media plans and dramatically increasing programmatic volume.”