10 Facts About the Business of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue [BI]

I know you're all holding your breaths for the unveiling of the new Sports Illustrated cover next Monday (cough, Winkevii). And I thought this may be of some interest to you. The Swimsuit issue is a multi-million dollar business that is bigger than the magazine that spawned it:

Since its debut in 1964, SI has moved beyond print, expanding into digital subscriptions, videos, a Twitter feed, talk-show appearances, and for the first time this year, a two-day music festival.

[Irina Shayk via]

Some of the top facts:

-The first Sports Illustrated swimsuit edition debuted on January 20, 1964, as a five page supplement. It was designed to increase readership during the winter lull between popular sports seasons.

-In 1997, swimsuit edition received special-issue status and has since become the single best-selling issue in Times Inc.'s magazine franchise.

-The swimsuit issue traditionally sells more than 1 million copies on newsstands.

-In 2005, the swimsuit issue brought in an estimated $35 million in ad sales. Today it generates 7% of Sports Illustrated's annual revenue, according to SI editor Terry McDonnell.

2012 Cover Model Short List Revealed [CoedMagazine]

-Brooklyn Decker
-Cintia Dicker
-Esti Ginzburg
-Genevieve Morton
- Hilary Rhoda
- Jessica Perez
- Jessica White
- Julie Henderson
- Kate Upton

Word on the street is that the front runners are:

Julie Henderson

Kate Upton