The Ringer
The Ringer is a digital media company producing sports and pop culture editorial, podcasts, video, and newsletters, serving entertainment-seeking consumers as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Spotify.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2016
- HeadquartersLos Angeles, United States
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What The Ringer does
The Ringer is a digital media company founded in 2016 by Bill Simmons, producing editorial and audio content at the intersection of sports and pop culture. It serves general consumers interested in professional sports leagues (NBA, NFL, MLB, WNBA, World Cup/soccer), entertainment (movies, TV, music), video games, and adjacent cultural topics, as well as more specialized audiences such as fantasy sports players and dedicated league fans. The portfolio spans an owned editorial website (theringer.com), a flagship podcast network featuring The Bill Simmons Podcast, The Rewatchables, Big Picture, The Watch, Higher Learning, House of R, The Town, Plain English, and the Ringer Fantasy Football Show, short-form video content, an email newsletter, live events, and a dedicated NBA Free Agency interactive tool. The underlying technology is a standard content publishing stack (WordPress plus Next.js image delivery); no proprietary AI/ML, APIs, or SDKs are disclosed. Distribution flows through owned digital surfaces plus third-party platforms — Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, Instagram, and X — with merchandise sold via a Merchtable storefront.
The Ringer operates as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Spotify (evidenced by Spotify's copyright in the site footer and links to Spotify's terms, privacy, and cookies policies), with Bill Simmons serving as Founder and Managing Director alongside a co-Managing Director and a 30-plus-person named editorial and podcast leadership team. The business model is primarily B2C advertising-supported, with sponsorship sold via a dedicated [email protected] channel, supplemented by merchandise sales and an emerging paid newsletter tier (content marked with a $ symbol on the homepage). No public pricing tiers, revenue figures, or audience scale metrics are disclosed. As a Spotify subsidiary, the unit functions as both a content brand and a podcast flagship for the parent, with strategic alignment to Spotify's podcast-first content strategy rather than as a high-margin standalone media business.
The Ringer firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- The Ringer
- Legal name
- The Ringer
- Website
- https://theringer.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2016
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- The Ringer is a digital media company producing sports and pop culture editorial, podcasts, video, and newsletters, serving entertainment-seeking consumers as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Spotify.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where The Ringer is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Los Angeles
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
The Ringer business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
The Ringer product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Ringer is a digital media company that produces and publishes original editorial content covering sports (NBA, NFL, MLB, World Cup, WNBA) and pop culture (movies, TV, music, gaming). Its core offerings include a daily editorial website, an extensive podcast network spanning flagship and niche shows, video content, an email newsletter with a paid premium tier, and live events for fans.
Product overview
The Ringer is a digital media company offering a multi-platform content ecosystem centered on sports and pop culture coverage. The core offerings include an editorial website publishing articles, analysis, and features across sports (NBA, NFL, MLB, World Cup, WNBA) and pop culture (Movies, TV, Music); a flagship podcast network featuring The Bill Simmons Podcast, The Rewatchables, Big Picture, The Watch, Higher Learning, House of R, The Town, Plain English, The Ringer Fantasy Football Show, and numerous other branded podcasts; video content; a newsletter; and live events. The portfolio is distributed primarily through owned digital platforms with content also available on Spotify, YouTube, and other third-party platforms.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- The Ringer Website (Articles & Editorial) The Ringer's primary digital media platform featuring sports and pop culture editorial content including articles, analysis, rankings, and features covering NBA, NFL, MLB, World Cup, Movies, TV, Music, and more. Built for general consumers interested in daily sports and entertainment coverage.
- Podcast Network The Ringer's flagship podcast network featuring multiple shows including The Bill Simmons Podcast, The Rewatchables, Big Picture, The Watch, Higher Learning, House of R, The Town, Plain English, The Ringer Fantasy Football Show, and numerous other branded podcasts covering sports, pop culture, movies, and entertainment. Distributed via Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and other podcast directories.
- Videos The Ringer's video content platform featuring short-form video content, clips, and visual editorial content across sports and pop culture topics. Distributed via the Ringer website and YouTube.
- Newsletter (with paid premium tier) The Ringer's email newsletter offering delivering curated content updates and highlights to subscribers, including premium paid content marked with a ($) symbol indicating subscription-tier access.
- Events The Ringer's live events platform featuring in-person events and experiences for fans of the brand's sports and pop culture coverage.
Companies that use The Ringer
Customer profileSegments3 records
Ideal customer profiles1 record
The Ringer technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
The Ringer partnerships and signals
Strategic signalRecent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
The Ringer competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Vox Media: Digital media holding company spanning sports (SB Nation), pop culture (Vulture, The Verge, Polygon), and podcasting. Directly comparable to The Ringer's horizontal sports + pop-culture coverage strategy and podcast-led growth.
- Barstool Sports: Personality-driven sports and pop-culture digital media brand. Closely comparable to The Ringer in audience (young, male-skewing sports/pop-culture fans), format mix (podcasts, video, written content), and reliance on a marquee founder figure (Dave Portnoy).
- Bleacher Report: Sports digital media brand owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. Comparable as a digital-first sports publisher producing articles, video, and social-native content for the same NBA/NFL/MLB fan audience.
- The Athletic: Subscription-based digital sports media company (now owned by The New York Times Company). Comparable to The Ringer in covering major US sports leagues with deep editorial coverage, but differentiated by a paywall-first business model.
- SB Nation: Network of team- and league-focused sports blogs under Vox Media. Overlaps with The Ringer's NBA, NFL, MLB, and soccer editorial coverage and shares the same digital-first, fandom-driven audience.
- Deadspin: Independent sports and pop-culture commentary site. Comparable to The Ringer in voice-driven sports and culture writing for a digital-first audience, though at smaller scale and without a comparable podcast network.
Emerging players
- Front Office Sports: Digital media company focused on the business of sports. Overlaps with The Ringer on sports coverage and podcasting, but emphasizes the sports-business angle rather than fan/pop-culture commentary.
- Puck News: Subscription-driven digital media startup covering media, sports, entertainment, and culture. Comparable to The Ringer's pop-culture-meets-sports coverage and premium newsletter model, but focused on industry-insider reporting.
Broad incumbents
- ESPN: Dominant incumbent sports media brand spanning TV, digital, and podcasts. Competes with The Ringer for sports commentary audience and podcast listenership, but operates at vastly larger scale with rights and league data The Ringer does not have.
- Sports Illustrated: Legacy sports media outlet (now operating under The Arena Group). Overlaps with The Ringer on written sports commentary and digital coverage, but with a broader, more established brand and different distribution model.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
The Ringer social profiles
Digital presenceThe Ringer financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
The Ringer leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles7 records
The Ringer funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
The Ringer M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about The Ringer
What does The Ringer do?
The Ringer is a digital media company that produces and publishes original editorial content covering sports (NBA, NFL, MLB, World Cup, WNBA) and pop culture (movies, TV, music, gaming). Its core offerings include a daily editorial website, an extensive podcast network spanning flagship and niche shows, video content, an email newsletter with a paid premium tier, and live events for fans.
Is The Ringer a public or private company?
The Ringer is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was The Ringer founded?
The Ringer was founded in 2016. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is The Ringer based?
The Ringer is headquartered in Los Angeles, United States, in the North America region.
Who are The Ringer's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Vox Media, Barstool Sports, Bleacher Report, The Athletic, SB Nation and Deadspin. Emerging players are Front Office Sports and Puck News. Broad incumbents are ESPN and Sports Illustrated.
Does The Ringer have an API?
No public API is recorded for The Ringer.