As predicted, Bill Simmons has landed at HBO after ESPN ended its contract with him earlier this year.
As part of Simmons new agreement, he’ll host a weekly talk show on the premium network as part of an exclusive multi-year, multi-platform agreement, said Michael Lombardo, president of HBO Programming.
The series, which will join such talk programs as Last Week Tonight with John Oliver and Real Time with Bill Maher, will premiere next year. HBO is investing in more shows that take on current affairs, having signed a deal with Vice in March to launch a five-day-a week newscast.
“We have been fans of Bill Simmons and his work for a very long time,” said Lombardo in a statement. “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, HBO chairman and CEO], it was hard to imagine being anywhere else.”
Besides the talk show, which will feature stories and guests from across the sports and cultural landscapes, Simmons also will have a production deal to produce content and assets for the network and its digital platforms, including video podcasts. He’ll consult with HBO Sports and work closely with HBO Sports President Ken Hershman on non-boxing-related programming, including developing series and documentaries.
Simmons comes to HBO from ESPN, and his departure from that network was big news two months ago. While at ESPN, Simmons was an often controversial columnist, and he was suspended for three weeks last September after he went on a rant on his podcast about NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. He also founded the Grantland website, which covers both sports and culture and offers several popular podcasts, including Simmons’ own The B.S. Report.
Simmons also created and was an executive producer of ESPN’s popular and acclaimed sports documentary series 30 for 30.
Simmons is a two-time New York Times best-selling author who started writing for ESPN.com in 2001, and starting in 2002, was the lead columnist for ESPN The Magazine until 2009. He also wrote for ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live from 2002 to 2004.
Simmons was the first of three high-profile exits from ESPN. Keith Olbermann was shown the door in July and Colin Cowherd also departed and is expected to jump to Fox Sports.
Tags: