As it turns out, Bill Simmons won’t have to wait until January to become a part of the Netflix family.
On the latest episode of The Bill Simmons Podcast, The Ringer founder revealed that he and “Cousin” Sal Iacono will be appearing on Netflix’s pregame show ahead of its Christmas Day NFL doubleheader on Thursday. The appearance comes just weeks ahead of the start of the partnership between the streamer and Spotify, in which video podcasts from The Ringer — including Simmons’ — will become exclusive to Netflix.
“We’re popping on the Netflix pre-game show,” Simmons said. “We’re shooting a little short segment for them.”
“That’s gonna be fun,” Iacono added.
While The Sports Guy didn’t reveal the nature of the segment, it seems like a safe bet that it will involve gambling-related content for the doubleheader featuring the Dallas Cowboys vs. the Washington Commanders and the Detroit Lions vs. the Minnesota Vikings. Dating back to the inception of his podcast, Simmons and Cousin Sal predicting the point spreads for each week’s slate of games has been a staple of the show, both during its time at ESPN and The Ringer.
But regardless of what comes from Thursday’s segment — and from Simmons’ own admission, it will be short — the inclusion of the two personalities could provide some insight into how Netflix plans to leverage its new podcasting partnerships moving forward. And that doesn’t just apply to The Ringer, but also potentially Barstool Sports, which has agreed to its own deal to move the video versions of shows such as Pardon My Take, Spittin’ Chiclets and The Ryen Russillo Show behind Netflix’s paywall.
Could Simmons and Cousin Sal’s Christmas Day cameo provide a potential template for future crossover opportunities as Netflix continues to emphasize live sports? Time will tell. For now, it will merely provide something else to look forward to ahead of what currently appears to be a lackluster slate of games.