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Sports Illustrated Group to Acquire Fannation.com New York, NY – Time Inc.'s Sports Illustrated Group has signed an agreement to acquire ownership of the website FanNation.com from Sports Technologies, Inc. (STI). FanNation.com is a web destination that aggregates, filters and customizes sports information and allows users to generate content; STI develops Web 2.0 applications that include news aggregation, community capabilities and fantasy game engines. As part of the agreement, Time Inc. will acquire a minority interest in a newly-formed subsidiary of STI which will own the remaining assets not sold to SI. The announcement was made today by Time Inc. Executive Vice President John Squires. FanNation.com, which delivers information to sports fans, fantasy game players and bloggers through a user-friendly design that is built to enable a rich, personalized community experience, is supported by technology developed by STI. The site enables sports fans to track players, create blogs, join groups, comment on the news and follow their favorite teams, giving the SI Group and its portfolio of digital assets - most significantly SI.com and GOLF.com - a platform to deliver an unmatched user experience in the sports community space and further enhance engagement of its online audience. "This acquisition will enable the SI GROUP to compete in the Web 2.0 space, deliver an unparalleled experience for the millions of sports fans who visit SI.com each month and attract new fans interested in this engaging platform," said Mark Ford, president and publisher of the SI GROUP. "The combination of FanNation.com's innovative technology and architecture, the strong journalism of SI and GOLF Magazine, and the original and entertaining content featured on SI.com and GOLF.com will provide fans with a multi-dimensional sports experience that they can't get anywhere else." STI technologies will be deployed first by the SI Group, but soon thereafter across other major Time Inc. online properties. "Time Inc.'s investment in STI is perfectly aligned with our digital strategy - to enable consumers to access our content across all digital platforms and engage with our brands through personalized and customized online experiences," said Squires. "STI will be invaluable to Time Inc. as we move beyond conventional publishing online into social forms of media, an area of major emphasis for us this year." "We couldn't have asked for better partners than Sports Illustrated and Time Inc.," said Chris Nicholas, President of STI. "The acquisition of FanNation.com, which STI will continue to support, will enable SI to add another dimension to sports fans' experience on the Web. It will also provide STI with the opportunity to deliver our innovative technology to a broader online audience, including the family of Time Inc. sites, as well as continue our pursuit of third party development deals with other sports entities." FanNation.com will be run by the SPORTS ILLUSTRATED GROUP under Ford and will report to Jeff Price, President of SI Digital. Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed. About SI About Time Inc. Time Warner Digital Initiatives About Sports Technologies, Inc. Contact Info: |
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