Bill Simmons Joins HBO on Multiplatform Deal: Latest Details and Reaction

Bill Simmons wasn't without a home for long. Just a little over two months after cutting ties with ESPN, the Sports Guy has agreed to a multiyear, multiplatform deal with HBO, according to a press release from the company. 

Simmons also tweeted the following:

According to the release, Simmons will begin hosting a talk show on the network and on both HBO Go and HBO Now in 2016. He'll also have a production contract to produce content for the network, including video podcasts and features—perhaps along the lines of the 30 for 30 series he created and produced for ESPN—and will also consult for HBO Sports.

“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.”

Simmons had been with ESPN since 2001, and his "Sports Guy" column and B.S. Report podcast became staples of ESPN programing. He also founded Grantland four years ago and spent time as an analyst on NBA Countdown. But Simmons and ESPN ended their relationship in early May, when ESPN president John Skipper announced that the two sides wouldn't be able to come to an agreement on a new contract. 

His new relationship with HBO seems like the perfect fit, however, as Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk noted:

HBO is known for releasing cutting-edge content, so the appeal for Simmons is obvious. The idea of a talk show for him is intriguing given his history as a podcaster, and one would imagine the company gave him a fair amount of autonomy to chase the projects he desires to work on.