Sports Illustrated’s 2011 Swimsuit issue is more than hot models in bikinis, it’s the most important edition for generating ad revenue that most publications have struggled to keep.
The swimsuit issue has become big business, generating more than a billion dollars for Sport’s Illustrated since 1964.
The 2011 swimsuit issue has more than 90 ad pages, a 30 percent increase over last year. And the issue is up 41 percent in advertising revenue.
The swimsuit issue accounts for about 7 percent of Sports Illustrated’s annual ad revenue. In 2010, the swimsuit issue generated roughly $40 million of Sport’s Illustrated’s $572 million total ad revenue.
The swimsuit issue usually sells well over a million single copies, which is about 10-15 times how many regular issues of Sport’s Illustrated are usually sold.
Chicks in bikinis serve as a huge boost to SI.com as well. Last year the swimsuit issue produced 11 million unique visitors during its launch week and generated more than 280 million page views.
The 2011 edition of the Sport’s Illustrated Swimsuit issue is perhaps the most important to date as the company begins to transition away from print advertising to online ad deals.
As print publication subscriptions continue to dwindle, online visitors to SI.com will continue to drive ad revenues upwards because of increased page views.
It’s the beginning of a new era for Sport’s Illustrated, driven mostly by supermodels in bikinis and body paint.
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