HBO’s Bill Simmons Plan Emulates YouTube With Short Web Clips

Armed with new streaming services and controversial former ESPN commentator Bill Simmons, Time Warner Inc.’s premium cable channel HBO plans to produce short-form videos that bend the definition of a TV network.

HBO would like Simmons to record videos -- say 5 or 8 minutes in length -- to complement the weekly program he will host starting in 2016, Michael Lombardo, HBO’s president of programming, said in an interview. Those, along with video podcasts Simmons will record, will be part of HBO Go and HBO Now, the network’s streaming services.