Bill Simmons is bringing his video podcasts to Netflix

Really, the news is right there in the headline.

In a deal struck with Spotify, Netflix will license a select number of podcasts from Spotify Studios and The Ringer. Among the initial batch are higher-profile podcasts including The Bill Simmons Podcast, The Zach Lowe Show, The McShay Show, The Rewatchables, Conspiracy Theories, and more.

The podcasts will be on Netflix in the US only at first, from early 2026, but other territories will follow. As per THR, more titles will be available on the platform as the partnership continues. One would assume that would include the TV review show The Watch.

Bill Simmons

The full list of podcasts that will be available on Netflix at launch will include:

• Sports

  • The Bill Simmons Podcast

  • The Zach Lowe Show

  • The McShay Show

  • Fairway Rollin’

  • The Mismatch

  • The Ringer F1 Show

  • The Ringer Fantasy Football Show

  • The Ringer NFL Show

  • The Ringer NBA Show

• Culture / Lifestyle

  • The Rewatchables

  • The Big Picture

  • The Dave Chang Show

  • The Recipe Club

  • Dissect

• True Crime

  • Conspiracy Theories

  • Serial Killers

I have two questions/thoughts about the move. Both involve YouTube, which is quickly establishing itself as the leading platform for video podcasts:

1. Will The Ringer podcasts continue to be available on YouTube?

2. What does this represent for Netflix in terms of how it is positioned as a premium video subscription service? Should we be asking that question with an eye to Netflix being a curator of higher quality video content regardless of medium (ie it becomes the home to the biggest and best podcasters, Twitch streamers, YouTube chefs)? Or at a certain point, do we just acknowledge that this all just looks and feels like TV to a certain extent anyway?

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News Desk

• RIP Drew Struzan. He is the guy responsible for designing iconic movie posters from the 80s including Back to the Future, The Empire Strikes Back, The Goonies, The Shawshank Redemption, The Thing, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, Blade Runner, Big Trouble in Little China, Coming to America, and First Blood. Read: The Guardian

• The mostly-forgotten TV series anthology spin-off from A Nightmare on Elm St, Freddy’s Nightmares, is now streaming on the US Tubi. It isn’t in the local Australian library, but I do point out that the US version is very VPN accessible. Read: Polygon

Trailer Park

The Family Plan 2 debuts on Apple TV+ Nov 21.

Dan Morgan (Mark Wahlberg) is many things: a devoted husband, a loving father, a celebrated car salesman. He’s also a former assassin. And when his past catches up to his present, he’s forced to take his unsuspecting family (Michelle Monaghan, Zoe Colletti and Van Crosby) on a road trip unlike any other.

A Merry Little Ex-Mas debuts on Netflix Nov 12.

Recently divorced Kate (Alicia Silverstone) is determined to pull off one last perfect family holiday before selling her beloved home. But when her ex-husband Everett (Oliver Hudson) shows up with his younger, picture-perfect new girlfriend, Kate’s holiday dream spirals into chaos. With comedy, heart, and plenty of holiday drama, A Merry Little Ex-Mas also stars Jameela Jamil, Pierson Fodé, and Melissa Joan Hart, directed by Steve Carr.

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That’s the newsletter for today.

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