It looks like HBO may be angling for the biggest fish in the crowded sea of sports media personalities.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the cable network is reportedly in talks with former Grantland lord and ESPN columnist/producer/talking head/podcaster Bill Simmons:
While HBO executives are staying mum, multiple sources tell The Hollywood Reporter that the network is in talks for a major multipart deal with the biggest media personality in sports…Simmons, whom the network is said to have made a big play for after his unceremonious booting from the more corporate ESPN.
On May 8th Simmons was let go by ESPN President John Skipper, who said via statement: “I decided today that we are not going to renew Bill Simmons’ contract. We have been in negotiations and it was clear it was time to move on.”
Simmons’ contract is up later this year, and the timing of the axe-drop seemed peculiar at best and vindictive at worst (Simmons, who hosted two NBA shows and regularly wrote about the league, including in his best-selling Book of Basketball, was forced to the sideline during one of the best Finals of the last 20 years).
But it shouldn’t be surprising. Simmons, who was given his own website to run, Grantland, four years ago, had been involved with numerous spats with ESPN higher-ups during in his 14-year tenure. In Septemberhe was suspended for a podcast rant in which he called Roger Goodell (gasp) a liar. Months later, Simmons was on the Dan Patrick show and again criticized Goodell for his handling of Deflategate. The next day Skipper and ESPN announced they wouldn’t be renewing Simmons’ contract.
While his final venture for ESPN, the Grantland Basketball Hour, was a ratings nightmare, Simmons found success across multiple platforms. One of his crown achievements was the 30 for 30 sports documentary series, which garnered awards and reinvigorated the genre.
HBO, which has found recent success off of not only Game of Thrones but also documentary series like The Jinx, is hoping Simmons can do the same for them. Though they’re hardly alone— expect a major bidding war for Simmons services, if there isn’t one already.
