One of the pillars of sports podcasting may be about to hit the market.
Swedish audio giant Spotify signed Bill Simmons to a five-year deal when it acquired The Ringer for $250 million in 2020, but his contract with Spotify expires in early 2025.
He was eventually named head of podcast innovation and monetization for the parent company.
According to information obtained by The Washington Post, Simmons has been in discussions with other companies about potentially launching a new platform.
Sources said Simmons had privately expressed frustration to aides about Spotify’s corporate structure, which didn’t give him full personnel control to acquire all the talent and programming he wanted to add.
Nevertheless, Simmons and Spotify are in ongoing talks about a possible new deal.
A spokesman for Simmons denied the story, calling it “inaccurate and unsubstantiated speculation.”
“As part of Spotify, The Ringer has enjoyed growing audience numbers over the years, an expansion of its formats and an expanded role for The Ringer team within Spotify,” a Spotify spokesperson told The Post in a statement.
“Spotify looks forward to continuing this partnership and has no plans to sell The Ringer.”
Simmons rose to fame as a writer for ESPN’s “Page 2” column, where his pre-blog style writing from a fan’s perspective made him one of the most popular sportswriters in the country.
He was an early adopter of the podcast format and was the driving force behind the network’s documentary series “30 for 30.”
Before leaving ESPN in 2015 over comments he made about NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, he spearheaded the ESPN website Grantland, which combined sports and pop culture and grew to employ dozens of staffers, many of whom went on to run The Ringer and other influential internet platforms.
Spotify’s acquisition of Ringer comes amid a rush to invest in original podcast content, including big deals with Barack and Michelle Obama, Joe Rogan, “Call Her Daddy” host Alex Cooper and Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.
Logan renewed his deal with Spotify earlier this year in a deal worth up to $250 million.
Contracts with the Obamas and former British royals have been terminated, The Wall Street Journal reports. reported “Call Her Daddy” is reportedly “close to a $100 million deal” to join SiriusXM.
