Walt Disney Co.’s ESPN sports network is suspending the Grantland sports and pop culture blog founded in 2011 by former commentator Bill Simmons.Jonathan Alcorn/Bloomberg
Walt Disney Co.'s ESPN sports network said it's suspending the Grantland sports and pop culture blog founded in 2011 by former commentator Bill Simmons.
"After careful consideration, we have decided to direct our time and energy going forward to projects that we believe will have a broader and more significant impact across our enterprise," ESPN said Friday in a statement.
The blog was considered a pioneering site for smart storytelling online, connecting TV networks to a new audience for digital media. ESPN is now in a cost-cutting mode after reporting it's losing subscribers and that profit growth will be less than expected.
Grantland was named after legendary sportswriter Grantland Rice. Simmons hired a number of prominent magazine editors and writers to help. He left ESPN in May for unspecified business reasons and has since signed with HBO. He was suspended for three weeks last year after calling National Football League Commission Roger Goodell a liar.
"Despite this change, the legacy of smart long-form sports storytelling and innovative short form video content will continue, finding a home on many of our other ESPN platforms," the network said.