Time Inc.'s Sports Illustrated Group and WebMD Partner on Cross-Platform Series Devoted to Athletes and Their Comebacks
NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Time Inc.'s (NYSE:TIME) Sports Illustrated Group and WebMD have teamed up to create a three-part, multiplatform editorial series about the behind-the-scenes stories of injured athletes and their return to competition. The production, entitled The Comeback, debuts today across a network of platforms including Sports Illustrated, SI.com https://www.si.com/edge/2015/06/23/mlb-los-angeles-angels-garrett-richards-injury-mike-trout, WebMD Magazine and WebMD.com (https://www.webmd.com/men/get-back-in-the-game-15/comeback/default.htm). The first production features the comeback story of Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim pitcher Garrett Richards, who is back on the mound just eight months after suffering a torn patellar tendon that cut short his 2014 season.
The SI/WebMD collaboration leverages the complementary strengths of SI's award-winning storytelling and access with WebMD's medical insight and analysis of injuries and rehabilitation programs. Also noteworthy, the entire multiplatform editorial package will be customized for the SI and WebMD print, digital and video platforms with extensive cross-promotion throughout.
"Our partnership with WebMD makes so much sense for both of our businesses," said Sports Illustrated Group Publisher Brendan Ripp. "We both have deep and loyal male audiences, our product portfolios are very similar and our editorial teams naturally complement one another. We're delighted to launch this program for our audience and marketing partners and have very lofty aspirations for it going forward."
"We are thrilled to collaborate with Sports Illustrated to offer health-related WebMD content that is relevant to anyone involved in sports activities and designed to motivate positive action," said Steve Zatz, President, WebMD. "The SI/WebMD collaboration is an exciting example of how we can employ cross-platform content to further our mission to educate consumers about important issues related to health and wellness."
In this first series installment of The Comeback, Richards sat down with Sports Illustrated Senior Writer Ben Reiter for the feature and, among other things, talked about the mental preparation for his rehabilitation. In fact, just hours after the injury he vowed to make the comeback. He told Reiter, "It was kind of instant rehab mode. ... [I] started getting myself mentally prepared for what I was about to embark on."
On Richard's health and recovery, WebMD offers readers an in-depth analysis of Richards' injury, with exclusive interviews and commentary by the leading experts in sports medicine. Readers can access useful tips and medical perspectives related to the prevention, treatment and recovery of similar injuries.
"Through this editorial collaboration, WebMD and Sports Illustrated have a unique opportunity to tell our audiences the full story of injury and recovery in an engaging, informative and relatable way," said Kristy Hammam, Editor in Chief, WebMD. "The Comeback will inspire and encourage weekend warriors to seek further information to help better inform their own health and wellness decisions."
"We're very excited about this project," said Paul Fichtenbaum, Editor of the Sports Illustrated Group. "By working with WebMD we can add new, compelling layers to our storytelling and give our readers valuable perspective from the authority in the medical community."
About the Sports Illustrated Group
The Sports Illustrated Group is a portfolio of best-in-class products and platforms devoted to the coverage of sports. The Group reaches more than 60MM combined across its portfolio, which includes the most-read sports magazine, a top 10 sports digital network and franchises such as TheMMQB.com, the FanSided Network, Sports Illustrated Films, the SI Golf Group and Sports Illustrated Kids.
About WebMD
WebMD Health Corp. is the leading provider of health information services, serving consumers, physicians, healthcare professionals, employers, and health plans through our public and private online portals, mobile platforms and health-focused publications.
The WebMD Health Network includes WebMD.com, Medscape.com, MedicineNet.com, eMedicineHealth.com, RxList.com, Medscape Education (Medscape.org) and other WebMD-owned sites and apps.
Contacts
Media:
For the Sports Illustrated Group
Scott Novak, 212-522-2687
[email protected]
or
For WebMD
Catherine Daniel, 212-624-3915
[email protected]