Latest in Bill Simmons

In the wake of last month’s news of Courtney Holt’s exit from Spotify, the company has made several moves in its exec structure as it continues to expand in podcasting and creator-driven content. Bill Simmons will continue to lead The Ringer, the outlet he founded and sold to Spotify in 2020, but is also being upped…

EXCLUSIVE: HBO is turning up the volume of its music documentary slate. The network has renewed Music Box, its Bill Simmons-led collection of feature docs, for a second season. It comes as the last of its initial six film collection – Juice WRLD: Into The Abyss – is set to air on December 16. Simmons and HBO will now…

Bill Simmons, co-creator of ESPN's documentary strand 30 for 30, is turning his attention to music documentaries for his latest project. Music Box is a 30 for 30-style strand for HBO that encompasses a number of movies about bands and artists. It kicks off tonight with Woodstock 99: Peace, Love & Rage, a film about…

Disney CEO Bob Iger sees ESPN eventually becoming “far more of a direct-to-consumer product” as the streaming eruption continues to alter the entertainment landscape. The executive shared that outlook and touched on topics like the launch of Disney+, sports rights negotiations and Kobe Bryant’s death, during a podcast…

Spotify is to acquire Bill Simmons' pop-culture and sports site and podcast company The Ringer. The music streaming service confirmed that it has entered a "definitive agreement" to buy the company, although terms of the transactions were not disclosed. It is the fourth podcast acquisition the company has done in the…

Bill Simmons and his digital media company, The Ringer, have a deal in place to create a six-part 2021 documentary film series that spotlights pivotal creations and creators within the music sector. Simmons, the co-creator of the Peabody Award-winning 30 for 30 film series for ESPN, will import a similar framing…

Mallory Rubin and Sean Fennessy, two of the founding editors of Bill Simmons’ sports and culture site The Ringer, are moving up in the ranks. Rubin has been promoted to editor in chief of The Ringer, effective October 1, as Fennessy hands over editorial reins and becomes Chief Content Officer. Both have been with the…

Luminary Media, a new entrant in the burgeoning podcast market, has announced its launch slate of 40-plus creators, including Hollywood names like Lena Dunham, Trevor Noah and Conan O'Brien's Team Coco. Once the company officially launches (sometime in the first half of 2019, it says), its streaming app will be…

HBO will shine a spotlight on children in show business, unveiling Tuesday the feature documentary Showbiz Kids. The film, to be directed a former child actor-turned-director Alex Winter, will be executive produced by The Ringer Films' Bill Simmons, Trouper Productions' Winter and Zipper Bros' Glen Zipper. The pic…

HBO Sports is teaming up with Bill Simmons Media Group for Courtside at the NBA Finals, an unscripted hourlong special chronicling the 2018 NBA championship series between the Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers. Courtside at the NBA Finals will premiere Tuesday, June 19 at 9 PM ET/PT with a replay at 11 PM…

Bill Simmons Media Group, the company behind The Ringer, its podcast network and the recent Andre the Giant documentary, announced a slew of promotions this morning. Chief among them is Geoff Chow adding the President title to his COO duties. Also today, Sean Fennessey has been promoted to Chief Content Officer and…

Larry Wilmore is launching a podcast on The Ringer Podcast Network, debuting Thursday, May 11. Larry Wilmore: Black on Air’s first guest is Norman Lear. Future episodes will feature Bernie Sanders and Neil deGrasse Tyson. Wilmore most recently co-created Issa Rae's HBO series Insecure. He also helped to launch ABC’s Bl…