How SI’s Swimsuit Issue Sells

Also, magazine to debut on Letterman—why not CNN?

By Jason Fell
02/12/2008 -17:48 PM

It’s that time of year again—for sports fans, the dark and gloomy vortex between the Super Bowl and March Madness. For Sports Illustrated, it’s Christmas: the swimsuit issue, the magazine’s annual predictably overhyped—and just as predictably, controversial—run through the media machinery.

In terms of advertising, marketing and newsstand sales, the swimsuit issue is the Super Bowl for Sports Illustrated. This year’s issue, with Marisa Miller on the cover, hit store shelves today, and—eschewing some level of corporate synergy—will get its official debut tonight on the David Letterman show. Why not, say, CNN’s American Morning? “It was logistical,” an SI spokesperson says, noting that SI’s ad party is taking place tonight in New York City, and that the guest list is over 1,000 strong.

Here’s a quick look at how SI’s Swimsuit Issue has fared on newsstands over the last five years:

YEAR	DATE	SINGLE COPY SALES	12-MONTH AVG.	AD PAGES	COVER MODEL
2007	Feb. 16	1,060,000	87,043*	109.95	Beyoncé
2006	Feb. 17	1,152,275	86,173	111.00	"All-Star" Cover
2005	Feb. 18	1,083,827	85,548	106.87	Carolyn Murphy
2004	Feb. 13	1,563,694	100,941	112.50	Veronica Varekova
2003	Feb. 25	1,216,495	100,626	113.00	Petra Nemcova