"ANY GIVEN WEDNESDAY WITH BILL SIMMONS," WEEKLY TALK SHOW SPANNING POP CULTURE AND SPORTS, TO DEBUT JUNE 22, EXCLUSIVELY ON HBO

LOS ANGELES, April 26, 2016 - ANY GIVEN WEDNESDAY WITH BILL SIMMONS, a weekly talk show hosted by one of the most influential figures in contemporary sports media, will kick off its 20-show season WEDNESDAY, JUNE 22 (10:00-10:30 p.m. ET/PT), it was announced today by Michael Lombardo, president, HBO Programming.

"Bill Simmons represents a unique and distinct voice with a proven track record of challenging the norm and igniting debate and discussion on a wide range of topics," said Lombardo. "We are excited about the concept Bill and his team have developed for this show, which takes advantage of Bill's intelligence, talent and insights."

"I'm excited about the show, I'm excited about the title and I'm really, really excited to drop my first F-bomb on TV," says Simmons. "We are going to figure out nudity down the road, as long as it's tasteful."

Spanning pop culture and touching on everything from sports and entertainment to arts and technology, ANY GIVEN WEDNESDAY WITH BILL SIMMONS will feature intimate conversations with compelling guests each week. The show will also include field segments and Simmons' signature commentary on current events.

ANY GIVEN WEDNESDAY WITH BILL SIMMONS will also be available on HBO NOW, HBO GO and HBO On Demand, as well as other affiliate portals.

The show is part of a major exclusive multi-year, multi-platform agreement with HBO that was announced in July 2015. Making HBO Simmons' exclusive television home, the deal provides for a comprehensive partnership on a variety of platforms between the network and Simmons, the founding editor of Grantland.com and the creator of the new content site The Ringer. In addition to delivering video podcasts and features, Simmons also consults with HBO Sports on non-boxing programming, including the development of shows and documentary films.

"After the Thrones," another project recently announced under the deal, debuted Sunday, April 24. Hosted by Andy Greenwald and Chris Ryan from The Ringer, the weekly show takes a lively, humorous and sophisticated look at "Game of Thrones," recapping each week's episode, exploring the complicated politics and history of the hit HBO series, and offering theories about future episodes.

ANY GIVEN WEDNESDAY WITH BILL SIMMONS will be executive produced by Bill Simmons, Eric Weinberger and Stuart Miller. Weinberger is president of the Bill Simmons Media Group, and previously served as executive producer of the NFL Network, overseeing a wide range of studio and live event programming. Miller was a two-time Emmy(R)-winning producer for "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart"; during his 12 years on the groundbreaking series at Comedy Central, he rose to co-executive producer.