New Berlin, WI - June 29, 2009 - Sportsman Channel officially unveils today a new and enhanced image designed to more accurately reflect the network's core brand: providing high quality hunting, shooting and fishing programming exclusively focused on the entertainment and information needs of the true "Sportsman". The new image captures the channel's revitalized programming line-up and exciting new content development, which are part of parent company InterMedia Outdoors' (IMO's) ongoing strategy to establish Sportsman as the premiere television and digital company serving American sportsmen.
The new image includes a dramatically different logo and channel bug, which replaces the red-boxed logo the company has had since its inception. The new logo is a modern illustration of the channel's singular dedication to hunting, shooting and fishing enthusiasts through three "coins." These coins have become the main feature of the new logo and on-air channel bug, each representing a different color and icon to give the viewer an immediate point of reference and to consistently brand our core programming pillars of hunt, shoot and fish.
"These coins are the essence of the new look and feel of the network," said Willy Burkhardt, president of Sportsman Channel and executive vice president at IMO. "We can animate them, stretch them into 3-D, have them interact with the programming, you name it. We are building a viewer recognition platform around a simple shape that will yield, over time, a strong brand identification for Sportsman and our core programming offerings of hunting, shooting and fishing."
Additionally, Sportsman has dropped "The" to become Sportsman Channel, with a graphical emphasis on "Sportsman" and the three coins.
The enhanced branding elements are supported by the "You Know You're a Sportsman" campaign, which is running across IMO's vast media outlets, including 15 market-leading magazines and websites, as well as consumer and trade media.
"This was a natural progression for Sportsman Channel," said InterMedia Outdoors President/CEO Jeff Paro. "Since acquiring Sportsman, IMO has pursued a well-defined, strategic plan designed to make us the number one channel serving American sportsmen. This year, IMO has leveraged its vast resources to fuel Sportsman with more than 115 hours of fresh, cutting-edge original programming, as well as driving a collaborative approach to promotion and ad sales. Willy and his team have created a ton of traction and have begun to redefine the category. The new logo and branding elements are a celebration of this effort and of our commitment to sportsmen everywhere."
Sportsman began rolling out the new image and logo with a unique "teaser" strategy. Consumers were introduced to it weeks ago, even if they didn't realize it. Burkhardt's team leveraged the resources of IMO's magazines and websites, along with the linear channel, to introduce consumers and viewers to the new logo gradually. The seven to 10-second "teaser" promos began June 8th, with a fresh teaser each week and the full unveil today. Viewers began to react almost immediately by commenting on blogs, Facebook and Twitter about the changes afoot at Sportsman.
"We wanted to have some fun with this unveiling. The idea was to surprise, almost confuse viewers, but ultimately intrigue them, leading them to that 'aha' moment when they realize the final result. It was quite an effort coordinating all of the necessary resources, especially around the production schedules of our print magazines, but the end result hopefully will be very effective and memorable," added Burkhardt.
The rollout elements included: on-air promotional "teases" that gradually revealed the logo; staggered print image ads in IMO's market-leading magazines; an online companion campaign; and social media promotion - a first for the network - all leading ultimately to the full introduction of the new logo, on-air bug and promotional graphics on June 29th.
Sportsman Channel is currently seen in more than 17 million homes, after announcing several distribution agreements during the past several quarters, including with DIRECTV and Bright House. The channel has grown its distribution by 600 percent since early in 2008, when IMO began to implement a new and aggressive growth strategy.
About Sportsman Channel: Launched in 2003, Sportsman Channel is the only television and digital company fully devoted to the more than 82 million sportsmen in the United States, delivering 100 percent hunting, shooting and fishing programming 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Acquired by InterMedia Outdoors Holdings in 2007, Sportsman Channel is now a part of the nation's largest multimedia company targeted exclusively to serving the information and entertainment needs of outdoors enthusiasts. For more information, visit www.thesportsmanchannel.com
About InterMedia Outdoors, Inc.: InterMedia Outdoors is the largest media company in the outdoor-enthusiast category, exclusively serving the information and entertainment needs of outdoors enthusiasts, with the largest network of websites dedicated to hunting, shooting and fishing; a portfolio of 15 magazines including powerful brands such as Petersen's Hunting, North American Whitetail, Guns&Ammo, In-Fisherman, Fly Fisherman, and Florida Sportsman; syndicated radio programming; 23 market-leading television productions, the largest library of outdoors television programming, and Sportsman Channel, the only television network 100% dedicated to hunting, shooting and fishing.
