Bill Simmons Latest Celebrity News & Gossip

By James McClain

Bill Simmons' The Ringer is returning to classic HBO show The Wire. The Spotify-owned podcast network is prepping a new show, The Wire: Way Down in the Hole, that will deep dive into every episode of the crime drama, starting with season one.

The rise and fall of startup HQ Trivia will be the subject of a new podcast from Bill Simmons' The Ringer, a source familiar with the plans tells The Hollywood Reporter. Staff writer Alyssa Bereznak is reporting and will host the multipart podcast, which is expected to feature interviews with former HQ employees as well as the journalists who covered the company's short history.

Spotify will pay as much as $195 million to acquire Bill Simmons' The Ringer, the company disclosed Wednesday in a regulatory filing.The Stockholm-based audio streaming giant said that the price to purchase the sports and pop culture company will total between 130 million euros and 180 million euros ($141 million to $195 million, based on the current exchange rate), a portion of which will be deferred.

Spotify disclosed that it will pay upwards of $196 million for The Ringer, the podcast and media company founded by Bill Simmons.

Spotify has purchased The Ringer, Bill Simmons’ sports and culture site, the companies announced today (February 5). The move follows the streaming service’s expansion into podcasts. (The Ringer has 30 podcasts.) The Ringer, which was previously in partnership with Vox Media, also has a video network, film production division, and book imprint, as The New York Times notes.

Spotify is bulking up its podcasting business with a definitive deal to acquire Bill Simmons’ The Ringer, which will add a robust slate of sports and pop culture audio shows to its growing podcasting portfolio. Terms of the deal for the four-year-old The Ringer were not disclosed.

Spotify announced a pact to acquire The Ringer, a sports, entertainment and pop culture media company founded by Bill Simmons, as part of the streaming company’s podcast expansion.

By Peter White

HBO and The Ringer's Bill Simmons are teaming for a series of documentaries about the music world, taking a similar approach to what Simmons did with sports docs in ESPN's 30 for 30 series.

Bill Simmons’ The Ringer is continuing to expand its relationship with HBO.

By Geoff Boucher

Spotify is in early talks to acquire Bill Simmons' media startup The Ringer, sources tell The Hollywood Reporter. The deal would be the latest in a succession of purchases by Spotify to bulk up its podcasting business.

Spotify is in early talks to acquire Bill Simmons' media startup The Ringer, sources tell The Hollywood Reporter.The deal would be the latest in a succession of purchases by Spotify to bulk up its podcasting business. In addition to a website that covers sports and pop culture, The Ringer has a thriving podcast arm with more than 30 shows, including flagship The Bill Simmons Podcast, Binge Mode and The Watch.A Spotify spokesman declined to comment.

Spotify is in early talks to acquire The Ringer, the digital content and podcast network launched by ESPN alum Bill Simmons in 2016, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal.