• by Liz Garber-Paul , March 22, 2007

Sports Illustrated is beefing up its Web site, adding news aggregation and other features, thanks to parent company Time Inc.’s recent purchase of FanNation.com, which combines social networking, news aggregation and fantasy sports.

SI.com is already using the company’s news aggregator, offering visitors the latest from Sports Illustrated magazine as well as from competitors. Later this year, parent company Time Inc. will incorporate the new technology into the Web sites of its other publications.

FanNation.com has been ad-free in the past, but that’s about to change. “We would like to make the site as comfortable as possible for the user, while also being able to maximize the business possibilities,” said SI.com managing editor Paul Fitchenbaum.

SI.com will continue to focus on original content — especially video — from the magazine, while FanNation will be the hub for user-created content, social networking and fantasy.