Ex-ESPN writer Bill Simmons found himself a new gig, this time for HBO. The contract is reportedly a “major exclusive multi-year, multi-platform agreement,” according to a quote from HBO. The text of the press release from HBO:
HBO AND BILL SIMMONS ANNOUNCE MAJOR NEW MULTI-YEAR, MULTI-PLATFORM EXCLUSIVE AGREEMENT ANCHORED BY AN ALL-NEW HBO SERIES TO LAUNCH IN 2016
LOS ANGELES, July 22, 2015 — Bill Simmons, one of the most influential figures in contemporary sports media and the founding editor of Grantland.com, and HBO have entered into a major exclusive multi-year, multi-platform agreement highlighted by a new weekly series coming next year, it was announced today by Michael Lombardo, president, HBO Programming.
“We have been fans of Bill Simmons and his work for a very long time” said Lombardo. “His intelligence, talent, and insights are without precedent in the areas he covers. We could not be more thrilled for him to bring those talents to HBO and to become a signature voice at the network, spanning the sports and pop culture landscapes.”
“It’s no secret that HBO is the single best place for creative people in the entire media landscape,” Simmons said. “From the moment I started talking to Michael and Richard (Plepler), it was hard to imagine being anywhere else.”
HBO will be Simmons’ exclusive television home. The overall agreement, which begins in October, provides for a comprehensive partnership on a variety of platforms between the network and Simmons. Among the elements of the new deal will be a talk show set to premiere in 2016 that will air on the main HBO service as well as the HBO digital platforms HBO GO® and HBO NOW®. Topical and spontaneous, the show will feature stories and guests from across the sports and cultural landscape. Simmons will also have a production deal to produce content and assets for the network and its digital platforms, delivering video podcasts and features. In addition, Simmons will be consulting with HBO Sports, working closely with HBO Sports president Ken Hershman on non-boxing related programming, including the development of shows and documentary films for the network.
Simmons was relieved of his ESPN duties after 15 long years just earlier this year in May. We knew the didn’t have the best relationship even though he was one of their much more well known sports writers. Simmons played a major part in founding one of the most popular talk shows on ESPN, “30 for 30.”
Part of the deal Simmons struck with HBO is that he will get his own talk show, similar to when he did Grantland for ESPN with Jalen Rose, another fan favorite. Along with his own show, HBO announced that Simmons will also work together on multiple video podcasts and documentaries. The HBO contract won’t kick in until this October however due to his still being under contract with ESPN through September. No details have been given regarding his new talk show other than that it will not be debuted until next year.
