Subscriptions and advertisements have long been a key aspect of Sports Illustrated’s monetization plan. Throughout most of the brand’s early decades, these revenue sources have been tied to the print magazine. However, the internet’s arrival on the scene created a striking shift in consumer preference. The internet offers consumers immediate satisfaction as well as convenience, so it is not surprising that so many consumers have gradually shifted from the brand’s print magazine as their source for sports content to the brand’s website. To accommodate this shift initially, the brand incorporated monetization strategies into the website. However, as time went on and the shift continued, it became evident to Sports Illustrated CEO Ross Levinsohn that a bolder step was required to maintain the desired level of income.
More than 40 years ago, Ross Levinsohn embarked on his print and media industries career. While he had a few lower-level positions, he gradually worked his way into top executive seats at corporations like CBS Sportsline, Maven Media, Guggenheim Digital Media, Fox and others. Through these professional endeavors, Levinsohn gained strategic insights that have been invaluable for addressing Sports Illustrated’s issue successfully. One of these insights was developed through his work managing monetization services for hundreds of clients as Maven Media’s CEO. The Street with Jim Cramer is only one of the many clients he served, and this brand experienced a noteworthy boost from Levinsohn’s hard work. Cryptocurrencies were increasingly an interest for this financial brand’s consumers. Levinsohn positioned the brand to reap returns from this interest through the creation of a dedicated paywall for these specific lines of content.
When Levinsohn accepted the role of Sports Illustrated CEO, he had this and many other experiences to extract inspiration from. He arrived at the conclusion that the introduction of another paywall was needed for Sports Illustrated’s website. This paywall now backs a premium subscription level for early-release stories, and it has successfully addressed the revenue situation at Sports Illustrated.