Travel Channel and Time Inc. have formed a partnership in which Sports Illustrated will produce a five-part series of one-hour specials for the Network titled “Sports Illustrated®: The Making of Swimsuit 2015” (wt). The specials, which will feature a behind-the-scenes journey through the creation of the upcoming Sports Illustrated Swimsuit multi-platform edition, is slated to anchor the Travel Channel’s “Beach Week” multi-platform programming event, currently scheduled for February 2015. This marks the third consecutive year that Travel Channel and SI have teamed up, with previous efforts delivering one-hour standalone specials about the making of SI Swimsuit 2013 and 2014. The announcement was made by Travel Channel President Shannon O’Neill and Brendan Ripp, Sports Illustrated Publisher.
“Developing strong partnerships across platforms continues to be a priority for us. Our ongoing relationship with Sports Illustrated is a great example of how two complementary brands can come together organically,” said O’Neill. “Our earlier partnership on the one-hour specials proved to be a success among our beach-loving travelers, so the expansion to produce the five-part series is a natural next step for us. The specials will serve as the perfect anchor for Travel Channel’s ‘Beach Week,’ a celebration of everything we love about our favorite beaches. And we know our viewers will enjoy this fascinating and exciting travel series packed with iconic backdrops and locations – spotlighting not only beautiful people, but truly beautiful places as well.”
“We are delighted to partner with Travel Channel for this unprecedented five-part series. The Network and its audience of passionate travelers is the ideal place to showcase the adventurous spirit of SI Swimsuit,” said Ripp.
“Our organization is devoted to creating premium video content and SI Swimsuit is front and center in that effort,’ said Paul Fichtenbaum, Time Inc. Sports Group editor. “Our Swimsuit video production team generates hours of breathtaking footage; often capturing it under the most challenging conditions and we’re delighted to offer Travel Channel viewers a window into that effort.”
“Sports Illustrated®: The Making of Swimsuit 2015” (wt) will be produced by Sports Illustrated Productions; Executive Producers for Sports Illustrated are: Paul Fichtenbaum, Ian Orefice and MJ Day. For Travel Channel, the executive producer is Dale Roy Robinson.
