Probably the most pillars of sports activities podcasting might be about to strike the marketplace.
Invoice Simmons’ commitment with Spotify is up in early 2025 later the Swedish audio immense signed him to a five-year trade in when it bought The Ringer for $250 million in 2020.
He used to be in the end named Head of Podcast Innovation and Monetization on the guardian corporate.
Simmons has had exploratory conversations with alternative firms about the potential for launching a brandnew platform, The Publish has realized.
Assets mentioned that Simmons has privately expressed frustration with confidants about Spotify’s company construction during which he has now not had complete staff independence to deliver all the skills or displays that he sought after so as to add to the crease.
Nevertheless, Simmons and Spotify have had an ongoing discussion about the potential for a brandnew trade in.
A spokesperson for Simmons pushed aside this tale as “incorrect and idle speculation”.
“As part of Spotify, The Ringer has enjoyed years of audience growth, format expansion, and increased roles for The Ringer team within Spotify,” a Spotify spokesperson instructed The Publish in a commentary.
“Spotify looks forward to the continuation of this partnership and has no plans to sell The Ringer.”
Simmons got here to prominence as a editor on ESPN’s “Page 2” vertical, and was essentially the most prevailing sportswriter within the nation as he wrote from a fan’s point of view in a structure that predated running a blog.
He used to be additionally an early adopter of the podcast structure, and used to be a motive force at the back of the “30 for 30” documentary order for the community.
Earlier than his fractious advance from ESPN in 2015 over feedback he made about NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, he had spearheaded ESPN’s Grantland website online, which mixed sports activities and popular culture and grew to dozens of staffers, a lot of whom advanced influential platforms at The Ringer and around the web.
Spotify bought the Ringer amid a spending spree on actual podcast content material, which incorporated large offer with Barack and Michelle Obama, Joe Rogan, “Call Her Daddy” host Alex Cooper and Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.
Rogan renewed with Spotify previous this 12 months in a trade in importance as much as $250 million.
The offer with the Obamas and previous British royals have ended, and the Wall Side road Magazine has reported that “Call Her Daddy” is “nearing a $100 million deal” to tied SiriusXM.
