I’m insanely excited to share some news:

In a groundbreaking partnership, The Ringer, Bill Simmons’ new publishing venture announced last week, is going to be the first premium content website to live on Medium at theringer.com.

Medium has increasingly become the default place where people and organizations come to share their stories and ideas with the world. In just the last few of weeks, we’ve seen a dynamic conversation about the employer/employee relationship, a powerful case for women to maintain financial independence, and a clear explanation of why Tim Cook is so furious.

Last fall we talked about how Medium could be an excellent place for bloggers and professional publishers to set up shop and run their operations. We eliminate the need for any investment in tech, provide access to a growing network oriented towards meaningful engagement, and deliver constant, always-on innovation from a world-class product development team, whether you’re a single blogger or a large commercial publication — all for free.

We first talked to Bill in December. Over the ensuing weeks, it became clear that we have a shared passion for raising the bar on what it means to create and share meaningful stories and ideas. It’s been Medium’s mission from the outset to create a set of tools that make it easier than ever to make your stories look beautiful, find the right audience via the Medium network, and drive engagement and conversation that drives thinking forward. We can’t think of better partners to help us develop our product roadmap for premium publishers on Medium.

Similarly, Bill and his team have an outstanding track record of publishing smart stories in a distinctive voice and building an intensely loyal readership. They are the best at what they do, and we are incredibly proud that they’ve chosen Medium as their platform partner for The Ringer.

Look for The Ringer to go live sometime in late spring or early summer. In the meantime, sign up for their newsletter here.