Mariah Media and Resort Sports Network Partner to Launch the "Outside Television Network"

7 December 2009
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A Joint Venture That Will Rebrand the Existing RSN Network

Santa Fe, NM – Mariah Media Inc., publisher of Outside magazine, America’s leading active-lifestyle publication, today announced a partnership with Resort Sports Network (RSN) to bring Outside’s award-winning coverage to life with the launch of the Outside Television Network.

This will be a complete rebranding of the existing Resort Sports Network, the national television network that specializes in creating and distributing outdoor-lifestyle content to premier vacation destinations throughout the country. The network—which currently reaches 61 million viewers annually, is distributed to 110 destinations, and is the number-one-rated channel in its markets as measured by Nielsen Media Research—will debut as the Outside Television Network on June 1, 2010.

The joint venture will unite two prominent leaders with large bases of both active and affluent consumers in the active-lifestyle categories. This unprecedented deal will provide Mariah Media with the means to reach its coveted consumer on all platforms, print, television, and digital. Simultaneously, it allows the Emmy Award winning RSN to leverage the universally respected Outside brand and gives RSN the opportunity to collaborate with Mariah Media’s editors on content creation while offering advertisers more multifaceted opportunities.

As a complement to Resort Sports Network’s traditional coverage, the Outside Television Network’s content will bring to television many of Outside’s popular special reports, such as Best Towns, Best Jobs, Trips of the Year, Best Gear and the Outside Buyer’s Guide, and Master Plans for Health, Fitness, and Nutrition, along with feature stories appropriate for the television experience. There will be unique Web and mobile assets under the Outside Television brand that will be highly coordinated with existing Outside assets. The Outside editorial team will work closely with RSN’s television producers to select subject matter from the publication that will seamlessly translate to television.

“Bringing the Outside brand to a sustainable network-television level in markets that active-lifestyle consumers live in and travel to presents an enormous opportunity to reach our core audience frequently and consistently and allows our print and online marketing partners to do the same. We are tremendously excited about working with the RSN team to expand the Outside Television Network to its full potential,” said Larry Burke, Chairman and Editor in Chief of Mariah Media.

“Outside is the most iconic and revered brand in the active-lifestyle space. It is an amazing opportunity to collaborate on content and translate the brand into television. There is a great fit between the companies on so many levels, and we couldn’t be more excited about the deal,” said Mark A. Burchill, CEO of RSN. He added, “We have had exploratory conversations with advertisers and potential distribution partners who are very excited about Outside Television. Expect to see the network more widely distributed, with a host of new programming additions.”

The media partnership will also expand both companies’ sales efforts by offering multimedia solutions with multiplatform advertising, sponsorship, and promotion packages, all under the umbrella of the Outside brand. Mariah Media will also have an ownership position in RSN, board representation, and a fully collaborative, integrated approach to content development between print and video platforms.

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