Bill Simmons has The Ringer starting to bubble as an online media option, and he’s just inked on to stay at HBO for the foreseeable future, per The Hollywood Reporter.
He’ll continue to be focused on creating and producing sports-themed content across the portfolio, be it series, films or the kinds of documentary programming with which he had considerable success at his former home, ESPN. The announcement arrives on the heels of his first foray into the latter at HBO with April’s Andre the Giant, which quickly became the most-watched documentary in HBO Sports history with nearly 7 million viewers across the network’s linear and digital platforms.Simmons was thought to be in some trouble at the network, but then the Andre The Giant documentary dropped, and all is well again.
“I’m thrilled to keep going with the HBO family and can’t wait to get started on a couple of the more ambitious projects we’ve hatched,” said Simmons, effusive in his praise as he continued: “I witnessed it firsthand with our Andre doc — when you create something unique for HBO, they’ve built so much trust and equity in their audience over the years that it’s always going to be seen. Every single time. If it’s good and it’s on HBO, it will stand out. Even though we have more entertainment choices than ever right now, HBO still cuts through in an incredibly precise, almost unassailable way — and they work better with creatives than anyone, period. I am lucky to work with them and I know it.”Simmons will branch out into films as well with The Ringer, having recently launched Ringer Films, where he’ll reportedly focus on documentaries.
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