After cutting ties with ESPN last May, Bill Simmons is readying his reentry into the digital media world, and a big part of his return will be centered on a new venture. Simmons has unveiled the website for The Ringer, where he and his staff will discuss sports, pop culture, and other topics.
Simmons shared The Ringer’s URL in a tweet he published on February 17th. He said the site will launch later in 2016, but invited his followers to sign up for a newsletter that will publish occasional updates in the interim.
The Ringer will feature several writers who previously worked under Simmons at Grantland, the venture he founded with ESPN in 2011. The Worldwide Leader in Sports shut Grantland down in October 2015, and Simmons promptly rehired several of his former coworkers.
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From a digital video standpoint, The Ringer will be an interesting company to watch. The Grantland YouTube channel was a big part of the publications strategy; at the time of its shutdown, it had more than 350,000 subscribers. Simmons hasn’t confirmed that his new site will have a video component, and since ESPN had a hand in Grantland’s video production, it’s not a given that The Ringer will go down the same path.
But let’s be real: It’s 2016, and most media companies are eager to get involved in digital video. As Simmons’ old buddy Jalen Rose would say, The Ringer should “give the people what they want,” and the people don’t just want to read; they want to watch, too.
