The Town with Matthew Belloni

Matt is joined by sports business journalist and Puck contributor John Ourand to discuss ESPN, Fox, and Warner Bros. Discovery teaming up to create a new over-the-top sports streaming platform that will air live sports from ESPN, TNT, FS1, and more. They discuss the dynamics of this deal, why this is happening, how it will affect the future of linear cable, potential drawbacks, and more. Matt fini...

Matt is joined by Bloomberg’s Lucas Shaw to discuss the highlights, lowlights, and most pressing music industry questions after the 2024 Grammy Awards. Matt and Lucas check in on the music business, including the ongoing feud between Universal Music Group and TikTok, Taylor Swift's new album announcement, the Grammy's problem with hip-hop, the future of the Las Vegas Sphere, and more. For a 20 per...

Matt is joined by Rolling Stone’s Ethan Millman to discuss the ongoing battle between Universal Music Group and TikTok, why Taylor Swift, Drake, and other artists’ music is no longer on the app, if TikTok deserves to pay less in royalties because of its cultural prominence and inherent marketing advantage, and ultimately who needs who more. Matt finishes the show with a prediction about the final...

Matt is joined by filmmaker Ed Zwick ('Glory,' 'Blood Diamond,' 'The Last Samurai') to discuss the art of studio and movie star politics in a constantly evolving industry. Ed talks about the era of high-end dramas in Hollywood, how to manage studios, the exploitation of test screenings, how to handle a difficult movie star, and much more. Matt finishes the show with a box office prediction about t...

Matt is joined by Bloomberg’s Lucas Shaw to discuss film chief Scott Stuber’s exit from Netflix and what it means for the streamer's movie arm,  Netflix’s foray into live programming with a $5 billion deal for WWE's 'Raw,' and its latest earnings report, which saw a big boost in subscriber growth. Matt, Lucas, and producer Craig finish the show by adding a new wrinkle to the 2024 box office draft....

Matt is joined by Joe Ravitch, the founder and partner at The Raine Group, to discuss the secret to a successful media merger, the dealmaking landscape in 2024, whether looming consolidation could hurt creatives in the industry, the appetite for tech companies to buy content companies, and more. Matt finishes the show with a prediction about John Stewart’s return to ‘The Daily Show.’ For a 20 perc...

Live from Park City, Utah, at the Sundance Film Festival, Matt is joined by Joana Vicente, a former producer and the current CEO of the Sundance Institute. Matt and Joana discuss the state of independent film, the perils of the indie film to streaming pipeline, the possibility of the festival leaving Park City in the near future, Scott Stuber's exit from Netflix, and more. Matt finishes the show w...

Matt is joined by Bloomberg’s Lucas Shaw to conduct the second annual box office draft on ‘The Town.’ Matt and Lucas each draft five blockbusters set to be released in 2024 with the goal of making the most money possible against the production budget. Plus, an added twist that allows each person to saddle the others team with a movie they believe will bomb. For a 20 percent discount on Matt’s Holl...

Matt is joined by journalist, author, and 'SNL' expert James Andrew Miller to discuss whether Lorne Michaels will actually step down after the 50th anniversary of 'Saturday Night Live' in 2025 and, if so, who is best suited to replace him. They also discuss the state of the show, its struggle with political humor, and its lack of star power. For a 20 percent discount on Matt’s Hollywood insider ne...

Matt is joined by Bloomberg’s Lucas Shaw to discuss the NFL’s first streaming exclusive playoff game, which featured the Miami Dolphins and the Kansas City Chiefs on Peacock. They break down why this should largely be considered a success for Peacock, how to retain the influx of new subscribers, and if the streaming exclusive sporting event is the right path forward. Matt finishes the show with a...

Matt is joined by Puck’s Bill Cohan to discuss the latest reports about Paramount Global’s potential sale, specifically looking at David Ellison’s pitch to acquire the media empire by purchasing National Amusement, Paramount’s parent company. Matt and Bill discuss Shari Redstone’s willingness to now engage, the financial problems as well as complications and high risk involved with the potential d...

Matt is joined by journalist Ethan Strauss of the ‘House of Strauss’ Substack to discuss the messy Pat McAfee saga and what it says about the state of ESPN. They unpack ESPN's decision to license 'The Pat McAfee Show,' whether the attempt to draw younger audiences to ESPN's linear channel is working, and whether the YouTube-ification of ESPN is a sustainable model. Matt finishes the show with a pr...

Matt is joined by Bloomberg’s Lucas Shaw to discuss the most pressing questions as we begin a new year in Hollywood, including the drama around Disney’s proxy battle, Bob Iger’s continued search for a successor, the looming NBA rights deal and the fate of local sports, and Oppenheimer’s dominance at the Golden Globes and what the rest of awards season will hold. For a 20 percent discount on Matt’s...

Matt is joined by Brooks Barnes from The New York Times to discuss the long and messy path of the Golden Globes as we gear up for the 81st Golden Globe Awards on Sunday. Matt and Brooks discuss why this show can’t seem to die even though it's been mired in controversy, how it has been reformed under new ownership, whether people even want to celebrate Hollywood anymore, and why the Globes will pro...

Matt is joined by Deadline senior reporter Justin Kroll to discuss the young movie stars on the rise and fall after a chaotic movie year in Hollywood. They highlight the movies that catapulted young actors into stardom, as well as some of the more puzzling casting decisions that potentially hurt someone's career. Matt finishes the show with a prediction about the 2024 box office in January and Feb...

In Part 2 of the exclusive Townie Awards, Matt and Bloomberg’s Lucas Shaw select their Winner of the Year in Hollywood, and give out a number of additional awards, including Executive Fail of the Year, Low-Key Flex, Movie Marketing Miss of the Year, The “Did I Say That Out Loud” Award for Worst Quote, the Mea Culpa I Was Wrong Award, as well as the Suck It Haters I Was Right Award, and more. For a...

It’s podcasting's most exclusive event of the year: The second annual Townie Awards! This is a show made up of awards created by us, based on our own interpretations of the craziest year in Hollywood, maybe ever? In Part 1, Matt is joined by Lucas Shaw, the Amy Poehler to his Tina Fey, to give out the first round of awards, including Most Destructive Behind-the-Scenes Drama, Publicist Fail of the...

Matt is joined by LightShed Partners media analyst Rich Greenfield to break down the latest reports of a meeting between Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav and Paramount Global CEO Bob Bakish in New York City to discuss a possible merger. Matt and Rich discuss what a deal would look like between these two legacy companies, how this would affect the streaming and cable networks for both of the...

Matt is joined by Bloomberg’s Lucas Shaw to discuss the biggest disasters of 2023 after a chaotic and frustrating year in Hollywood. With the labor shutdowns being the clear answer for the biggest debacle, Matt and Lucas look beyond the strikes to nominate what they believe have been the most calamitous misfires in the industry this year. For a 20 percent discount on Matt’s Hollywood insider newsl...

Matt is joined by film producer and founder/CEO of Illumination, Chris Meledandri, to discuss a very weird year for theatrical animation, which featured a billion-dollar hit in ‘The Super Mario Bros. Movie’ and big misses with originals like ‘Wish’ and ‘Strange World’. Chris helps explain the business of feature animation, why original animated movies have been struggling, and how Illumination dif...

Matt is joined by Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos and Bloomberg’s Lucas Shaw to discuss Netflix's newest expansion into data transparency, called “What We Watched: A Netflix Engagement Report,” a biannual report covering six months of streaming habits on the platform across more the 18,000 shows and movies between January-June 2023. Matt and Lucas dive into the data and ask Ted about Netflix’s shift i...

Matt is joined by Ted Hope, a producer and former cohead of movies at Amazon Studios, to discuss streaming's negative impact on the movie business. Ted provides his perspective to explain how global streaming platforms have damaged the independent film business, how predatory pricing has corrupted the market, how the incentives of streamers have changed, and what should be done to fix this. Matt f...

Matt is joined by Axios senior correspondent Sara Fischer to dissect the biggest deals of 2023, and what we can expect in 2024. They discuss why private equity may dominate the deal market next year, the possibility of a major merger, and predict what 2024 will hold for Paramount Global, Warner Bros. Discovery, Comcast, theater chains, NBA rights, and more. Matt finishes the show by giving a predi...

Matt is joined by Bloomberg’s Ashley Carman to discuss the state of the podcast industry and its struggle to reach profitability despite its growth. They talk about the murky metrics for success, the era of companies going “all in” on celebrity podcasts, the comedy podcaster boom, Spotify vs. Apple vs. YouTube, and the rise of the video podcast. Matt finishes the show with a prediction about the f...

Matt is joined by Julia Alexander—the director of strategy at Parrot Analytics and a streaming wars expert—to discuss the year's most strategic and powerful moves made by streamers to try to gain an advantage over their rivals, and which worked the best. Matt finishes the show with a prediction about the 2024 Oscars. For a 20 percent discount on Matt’s Hollywood insider newsletter, ‘What I’m Heari...