Bill Simmons’ popular Sunday night live podcast will become exclusive to Netflix in January.
According to Caitlin Huston in The Hollywood Reporter, the Sunday night edition of The Bill Simmons Podcast that typically recaps the day’s NFL slate or, after football season, serves as a platform for NBA discussion, will now stream exclusively on Netflix beginning January 11.
It was reported in October that over a dozen podcasts from Simmons’ company The Ringer will make the transition to Netflix for video purposes starting in 2026. However, it was unclear what the fate of live shows like the Sunday episodes of The Bill Simmons Podcast would be.
Per Huston, episodes will stream live at 11:30 p.m. ET. After the show concludes, the video versions will be available on both Netflix and Spotify (which owns The Ringer), while the audio version will be available on all podcast platforms.
Bill Simmons will continue to be joined by “Cousin” Sal Iacono for NFL-centric episodes, while Zach Lowe will fill the seat once occupied by Ryen Russillo during NBA season. Russillo, of course, recently departed The Ringer for Barstool Sports.
With Simmons’ eponymous show going live on Netflix, it opens the door for some of The Ringer’s other titles to stream live on the platform.
For Netflix, the move signals the streamer’s growing interest in adding live programming. The streamer has been proactive in adding other video podcasts, including three of Barstool’s popular shows, and more than a dozen titles from iHeart in the hopes of getting users to spend more time on the platform. It is a clear play to close the gap with YouTube, which has traditionally owned the audience for live podcasts.
No doubt, The Bill Simmons Show will likely reach fewer people behind the Netflix paywall than it did when streaming live on YouTube. But it’s a calculated risk for an established brand like The Ringer, whose fans will likely follow shows to whichever platform they air on.
About Drew Lerner
Drew Lerner is a staff writer for Awful Announcing and an aspiring cable subscriber. He previously covered sports media for Sports Media Watch. Future beat writer for the Oasis reunion tour.