The Bill Simmons podcast is one of the most popular sports podcasts of all time hosted by its namesake, the very famous Bill Simmons. 

The show is featured on theringer.com which is currently owned by Spotify.

Bill’s attention to historical accuracy, personal tales, minute sporting world details, and strong analysis makes his podcasts one of the most downloaded sports talk shows. (source) 

The podcast is casual, entertaining, and connects with all levels of sports lovers. 

And as it completes almost six years in the sports niche, its audience base has grown to millions.

Reach of the podcast

The Bill Simmons podcast has more than 77 thousand subscribers on YouTube, 450,000 followers on Instagram and 23.200 followers on TikTok .

The show is highly rated on Apple Podcasts with an average 4.4/5 stars ratings. 

As of January 2023, the podcast was ranked the #5 most popular in the sports category and #57 in all genres. (source)

On YouTube, where view statistics are readily available, it appears that the average podcast receives between 20,000 views and 50,000 views per episode.

Based on this analysis, we estimate that the Bill Simmons Podcast receives 520,000 listens and views each time an episode goes out across Ringer, Apple, Google, YouTube, and Spotify.

The creator behind the podcast

Bill Simmons is a sports journalist, television host, podcaster and the founder of TheRinger.com and the Ringer Podcast Network in 2016.

He started by writing a column under the name “The Boston Sports Guy”. 

His column was the most read article the day it was published, which attracted the attention of many established sports websites. 

In 2001, ESPN hired him. 

In collaboration with the network, he started the very famous blog “Grantland” where he was the editor-in-chief until May 2015.

He quickly rose to fame and became the most popular writer on ESPN and the most-read sportswriter in the US.

But things did not last with ESPN, and after a very successful career with ESPN network, he quit. 

Later, Bill signed a contract to work with HBO but only presented one of its shows, Any Given Wednesday, for less than a year. 

In 2016, he started the sports media firm The Ringer where he hosts the Bill Simmons Podcast to this date. 

Bill Simmons has a distinctive voice. His prodigious pop culture knowledge is very helpful to his podcasts. 

The connections with the people in the sports world, which he developed over the years working with big players of the industry, are a great asset in the development and marketing of the podcast.

Of all the talk shows, his webisodes are the most visited by guests and media personalities. 

It features a “rotating crew of celebrities, athletes, and media staples, as well as mainstays like Cousin Sal, Joe House, and a slew of other friends and family members who always happen to be suspiciously available.” 

Simmons sold The Ringer to Spotify in 2020 for a whopping $206 million. 

This deal made him the first podcaster to appear on the Forbes Top 100 World’s Highest Paid Celebrities of 2020.

Although he is not currently the owner of the media house, he is the only host of the podcast, and it is under his name and his tactic that the show is what it is. 

Format and Theme

The Bill Simmons Podcast is a relaxed roundtable chat about everything sports fans might want to know.

Bill has a great selection of guests that talk about everything from the NBA to the newest sports news. 

Throughout the entire podcast, Bill engages in conversation with one or more guests rather than giving a monologue.

They analyze player conduct and talk about the plays in each game, mainly of the NBA and the NFL leagues, in great detail.

In one of the podcast episodes titled,” A Kevin Wildes – Dave Jacoby Reunion, Plus Freddie Gibbs Finally Comes On” the team discusses a lot of light topics like LeBron James’ future in Los Angeles, and chit chatting about some of Aaron Rodgers’ social media posts.

The show includes discussions on core sports topics like analysis on the NBA All-Star Weekend and the objective scoring method in basketball.

In the last section, Rapper Freddie Gibbs joins the podcast. He concludes that athletes and rappers are no different. 

Then he continues to share his insights on the evergrowing lucrative music business, and what are his prospects in films.

The podcast is not always entirely about sports. Some shows are completely dedicated to the hot topics of the week, mostly related to Hollywood.

In one of the Bill Simmons Podcast episodes, “Talking Movies With Wesley Morris, Sean Fennessey, and Cameron Crowe,” the team discusses pop culture and the film business in addition to some of the trending news of the week. 

They talk about “the future of film, the lack of traditional American movie stars, issues with the delivery methods of the film industry, (and their) favorite directors.” (source)

Then Bill engages with Cameron Crowe on his work as a music critic for Rolling Stone magazine, and talks over his experiences in directing and producing some of his movies like “Fast Times at Ridgemont High”, the “Singles”, and “Almost Famous”.

However, the majority of the episodes center on discussions about athletics. 

Audiences are largely drawn when the podcast openly disagrees with a referee decision or a player’s move. 

Occasionally Simmons invites performers and pop-culture experts to explore current entertainment topics.

And with pop culture interspersed, the program never becomes monotonous and is a great example of informational sports entertainment.

Reception and impact

Sports and Hollywood have always remained audiences’ favorite topics. 

Bill Simmons’ podcasts cover a variety of subjects, but are centered around these two primary verticals. 

Additionally, they are designed for crowds all around the globe. 

Each episode of the podcast is fast-paced, unvarnished, and fascinating and draws thousands of listeners. 

The podcast fans love the talks. Check out some of their comments:

“Unfiltered opinions, witty remarks, and encyclopedic sports knowledge collide, but this is enthusiastic and accessible enough for casual sports fans to enjoy.” – Simon Hill (source)

“Love when Bill gets deep into basketball and Parent Corner is always hilarious…” – Omar B. (source)

Final words

Simmons influenced the way sports are covered online. His approachable demeanor appealed to followers all around the world.

His podcast shares sports analysis with the highest sincerity and expertise through insightful content and original conversations between the hosts and guests.

The shows receive millions of listeners, especially during premiere NBA and NFL games. Some of the audiences get the final results of the games from this podcast. 

Apart from talking about sports, Bill engages in a lot of dialogues from Hollywood and News verticals that keeps listeners hooked to the podcast.

It is a must-listen talk show!

Tune in to find fresh new episodes of “The Bill Simmons podcast” on Spotify, YouTube, Apple Podcasts , and Google Podcasts, and for more updates, check out Bill Simmons’s Instagram.

For entertainment podcasts like the Always Sunny Podcast and other very popular talks shows, check out our varied collection here.