Time Inc. has acquired three companies–
including SportsSignup, based in Saratoga
Springs–that will form the foundation of Sports
Illustrated Play, a new business devoted to youth
and amateur sports.
Sports Illustrated Play is teaming up with
leaders in online sports management to introduce
a suite of tools for player registration,
scheduling, communication and score keeping,
said a statement from the company.
Two of the acquired companies–League
Athletics, Tucson, Az., and SportsSignup, based
at 18 Division St.–operate digital management
tools that post game scores, keep track of
schedules, statistics and standings and enable
participants to register and communicate regularly.
According to Time Inc., the two companies
reach more than 8 million players, parents,
coaches, administrators and other youth sports
participants, including over 8,500 leagues and
300,000 teams.
The third acquired business, Southern
California-based iScore, operates a scoring
app for youth baseball, basketball, soccer and
a multitude of other sports. The baseball app,
for example, provides play-by-play coverage of
approximately 10,000 games each week. The
iScore baseball, basketball and soccer apps are
available on iOS devices; iScore baseball is also
available on Android devices.
“This acquisition brings together three leaders
in online sports management–SportsSignup,
League Athletics and iScore–to form the
foundation of Sports Illustrated Play, LLC. Out
of the gate, this new and independent Time Inc. business will introduce a powerful suite of
tools for player registration, scheduling, communication
and scorekeeping for youth and
amateur sports,” said Anthony Bruno, who was
CEO of SportsSignup and now COO of Sports
Illustrated Play.
“Expect little to change in the near term,
but over the longer term, you can count on a
continuation of open communication as we add
to the services we currently deliver to you,” he
said in a statement. “After all, Sports Illustrated
Play will only be successful if we make your lives
easier and your organization more successful.
“As our service and platform evolves, we
will be eager to hear your thoughts on how
Sports Illustrated Play can better serve your
organization.”
Joe Ripp, CEO of Time Inc., said the acquisitions
“establish Time Inc.’s position in a youth
sports space that now consists of approximately
30 million American athletes aged 5 to 17. I
know firsthand how team sports can empower
children and teens. It is also a source of pride
to older participants, whether they’re involved
as parents, coaches or provide moral support.
Youth sports are activities that touch one’s
entire life span and are a tremendous force of
good in the lives of American families.”
“We believe Time Inc. can bring greater
value to this growing segment and provide a
more rewarding experience to its passionate
audiences,” Ripp continued. “This opportunity
represents a natural extension of the trusted
Sports Illustrated brand. It was developed internally by George Linardos, an involved youth
sports dad, who conceived the idea for Sports
Illustrated Play and was a driving force behind
the acquisitions and business plan.”
Sports Illustrated Play will be led by Jeff
Karp, who has long been involved in youth and
amateur sports and has built some of the largest
brands in mobile, sports and entertainment,
Time Inc. said.
In June, SportsSignup announced a partnership
with Babe Ruth League Inc., to provide a
full range of registration and content management
services to Babe Ruth and its more than
one million players nationwide.
Time Inc. is a leading media companies,
with a monthly global print audience of over
120 million and worldwide digital properties
that attract more than 120 million visitors each
month, including over 50 websites. Influential brands include People,
Sports Illustrated, InStyle, Time, Real Simple, Southern Living,
Entertainment Weekly and more.