ESPN Relaunches Rise, Increases Circ to 1 Million

Publisher promises increased distribution to five states.

By Jason Fell
08/27/2008

ESPN has officially launched the rebranded Rise magazine as ESPN Rise. The new issue will be distributed to high schools nationwide this week.

The rebranding, ESPN says, was done in an effort to grow the company's 12- to 17-year-old demographic. ESPN also has increased the magazine's circulation from 910,000 to 1,000,000, saying it will increase distribution in Arizona, Indiana, Minnesota, New Jersey and Oregon—where distribution was previously limited to smaller regional areas.

ESPN Rise will continue to publish 25 regionally-customized editions eight times per year as well as an annual national edition, ESPN says. The magazine's Web site also was relaunched this week.

In December, ESPN acquired SchoolSports Inc., a high school sports and lifestyle company that included Rise—its core asset—along with Gridiron, Hardwood and Girl magazines. In May, the publisher announced plans to rebrand Rise.

ESPN does not have plans for rebranding the other former SchoolSports magazines, or to increase their circulations, a spokesperson says.