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Any Given Wednesday with Bill Simmons ratings fall to new low

By Hector Cruz

SAN FRANCISCO, CA - OCTOBER 07: HBO's Bill Simmons speaks onstage during 'Ahead of the Curve - The Future of Sports Journalism' at the Vanity Fair New Establishment Summit at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts on October 7, 2015 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Mike Windle/Getty Images for Vanity Fair)
SAN FRANCISCO, CA - OCTOBER 07: HBO's Bill Simmons speaks onstage during 'Ahead of the Curve - The Future of Sports Journalism' at the Vanity Fair New Establishment Summit at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts on October 7, 2015 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Mike Windle/Getty Images for Vanity Fair) /
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Ratings for Bill Simmons’ HBO talk show Any Given Wednesday hit a new low among total viewers and adults 18-49.

Last week’s episode of Any Given Wednesday with Bill Simmons hit a series low in the ratings since debuting in June on HBO. The installment, which featured interviews with Cris Carter, Amy Trask and Joseph Gordon-Levitt, drew only 148,000 viewers and a dismal 0.06 18-49 demo rating, down from 217,000 viewers and a 0.10 rating for its last episode. That was below its previous low of a 0.08 rating and 163,000 viewers.

The series has never been a ratings hit, attracting just 260,000 viewers and a 0.12 rating for its premiere on June 22. It did see a ratings bump the following week after grabbing headlines over Ben Affleck’s Deflategate rant, but it failed to gain momentum after that. However, unlike the broadcast and basic cable networks, HBO does not solely rely on live ratings to determine a show’s future due its subscription-based model. Instead, it also looks at delayed-viewing numbers across all platforms to determine its popularity. For instance, across its first six airings, Simmons’ talk show averaged 249,833 live viewers per episode, but the premium cable net insists that it actually averaged a total of 2.4 million weekly viewers across all platforms during that same time frame.

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Simmons signed a three-year deal with HBO in October 2015 that’s reportedly worth more than $20 million, which includes his own talk show. His contract gives both parties all the more incentive to make Any Given Wednesday work, while Simmons is also expected to produce other sports-related content for the network.

The first season, which is expected to run through December, includes 20 episodes, 10 of which have already aired. So far, segments have included exploring Cleveland’s new identity following the Cavaliers’ championship win, discussing the issues with personal seat licenses, and a weed-related round of questioning with Seth Rogen and Ricky Williams.

Next: Seth Rogen discusses Sony hack on Any Given Wednesday

Tonight’s episode will feature sit-down interviews with rappers Nas and Vince Staples, as well as Kevin Durant, who will presumably discuss his move to the Golden State Warriors. A focus on attracting high-profile athletes such as Durant may help the show’s struggling ratings, though a conversation with Aaron Rodgers in July failed to move the needle.

Any Given Wednesday with Bill Simmons airs Wednesdays at 10 p.m. on HBO.

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