Two Fresh Bidders Emerge For SI

The license to publish Sports Illustrated is drawing interest from at least two fresh bidders — including Jeff Zucker-backed news site Front Office Sports, The NY Post is reporting.

In addition to Front Office Sports — minority-owned by the ex-CNN boss’s media-focused buyout firm RedBird IMI Management — Sports Illustrated’s publishing rights could also get a bid from Minute Media, which in 2019 acquired the Player’s Tribune blog founded by Derek Jeter, sources said.

The rights to publish SI went up for grabs earlier this month after its current licensee, The Arena Group, failed to make a $3.75 million quarterly fee — prompting the SI’s owner Authentic Brands Group to terminate its license.

Arena — which made headlines Jan. 19 by telling all of Sports Illustrated’s staffers they would lose their jobs because of the blowup — is still publishing SI under a 60-day contract provision, even as it scrambles to negotiate lower fees, sources said.

In October, Jeff Zucker’s Redbird IMI Management bought a minority stake in Front Office Sports, which covers the influence of sports on business and culture.

Front Office Sports could publish its articles through Sports Illustrated, a source close to the situation said. There also could be co-branding opportunities, according to the insider.

Arena — which also publishes titles including Men’s Health, TheStreet and Parade — is hoping to hang on to it after winning a reduced licensing fee, sources said.