The Town with Matthew Belloni

Matt is joined by the president of Peacock, Kelly Campbell, to discuss Peacock’s unique place in the streaming universe, how live sports supercharged its growth, and how it plans to improve its coverage of the Olympics as their exclusive digital home. They also discuss how gaining NBA rights could affect Peacock’s content output and whether a joint venture with Paramount Plus or Max could ever wor...

Matt is joined by Bloomberg’s Lucas Shaw to investigate the disappointing opening weekend for ‘The Fall Guy’ to figure out why this movie underperformed, and what lessons Hollywood can take from it. Questions explored: Should the movie be considered a flop? Was it marketed correctly? Is Ryan Gosling a bankable movie star? Does the disappointment of this original-ish movie mark a major setback for...

It’s May, which means it is officially summer blockbuster season. Matt welcomes back Puck’s Scott Mendelson to run through each of the most highly anticipated blockbusters of the summer, then assign their confidence levels for each movie’s likelihood of exceeding expectations at the box office. For a 20 percent discount on Matt’s Hollywood insider newsletter, ‘What I’m Hearing ...,’ click this lin...

Matt is joined by The Ringer’s Bill Simmons to discuss the ongoing battle for the next round of NBA media rights. The latest reports outline a potential deal in place with ESPN/ABC and Amazon for the next decade, leaving open a coveted third spot for the highest bidder. Matt and Bill discuss who they believe will nab the third package and outline what the NBA could look like on streaming and broad...

Matt is joined by Lucas Shaw to discuss the ousting of Paramount Global CEO Bob Bakish, why it happened now, and whether it affects a potential deal moving forward. They then update their predictions in the Skydance, vs. Apollo deal, and wonder what would happen to Paramount Global and its new three-headed CEO triumvirate if there is no deal. Matt finishes the show with an opening weekend box offi...

Matt is joined by Tubi CEO Anjali Sud to discuss the rapid growth of free, ad-supported content, competing with YouTube and social media, how young people want to consume content, whether Tubi can outlast the free ad-supported arms of major steamers, and whether this business is actually sustainable. Matt finishes the show with a prediction on the future of TNT's 'Inside the NBA.' For a 20 percent...

In a special live episode, Matt and Puck colleague Peter Hamby are joined by screenwriter, playwright, and film director Aaron Sorkin to discuss the current state of Hollywood, the impact of AI on writers, politics, why he fired his agents, and much more. For a 20 percent discount on Matt’s Hollywood insider newsletter, ‘What I’m Hearing ...,’ click here. Email us your thoughts! thetown@spotify.co...

Matt is joined by author and Puck writer Bill Cohan to break down the latest in the Paramount bidding war. They discuss Sony’s interest in joining Apollo Global Management’s bid for Paramount and how it differs from David Ellison's Skydance Media bid. They also explore how each bid would affect Paramount’s stockholders, which bid Shari Redstone prefers, and more. Matt finishes the show with an ope...

Matt is joined by Bloomberg’s Lucas Shaw to discuss Netflix’s pivot away from reporting subscriber growth and average revenue per user every quarter. The two question why Netflix is doing this and how this step back from transparency will affect other streaming services and the greater streaming landscape. Matt finishes the show with a prediction about primetime television. For a 20 percent discou...

Matt is joined by Nathan Hubbard—former CEO of Ticketmaster, current CEO of Firebird Music and Ringer podcaster—to discuss the return of Taylor Swift’s music to TikTok despite distributing partner Universal Music Group's boycott of the platform. They debate whether or not Taylor Swift should allow her music to reap the benefits of TikTok while other artists suffer. Matt finishes the show with an o...

Matt is joined by John Peters, Accenture’s global lead for media and entertainment, to look at which Hollywood studios are struggling to keep up with the wants of consumers and which are adapting to the times. John outlines why studios that make radical decisions are best positioned to succeed, and whether social media is the entertainment industry's biggest competitor. Matt finishes the show with...

Matt is joined by Bloomberg’s Lucas Shaw to look back at the 21st century's biggest media and entertainment mergers and acquisitions, discuss how many of them actually worked, and anoint their best and worst deals of the century. They then look ahead to the potential deal between Paramount Global and David Ellison’s Skydance Media. Matt finishes the show with a prediction about the future of Jason...

Matt is joined by IMAX CEO Rich Gelfond to discuss the complicated state of movie theaters, and the growing importance of premium large-format screens like IMAX. Rich reveals just how much certain movies have benefitted from IMAX sales, which movies are getting the most IMAX screens this spring and summer, and what to do about the glut of empty multiplexes across the country. Matt finishes the sho...

Matt Belloni is joined by Matt Stoller, research director for the American Economic Liberties Project and writer of the monopoly-focused newsletter 'Big,' to discuss the growing trend of consolidation in Hollywood and how big tech changed the way the entertainment industry operates. They talk through the downsides of consolidation in media, the difference between Netflix and other tech companies l...

Matt is joined by Bloomberg’s Lucas Shaw to recap Hollywood’s slow start to the year and reveal their under-the-radar winners and losers of 2024 so far. Matt finishes the show by revealing the championship matchup in the Hollywood Power Bracket and predicting who will take home the trophy. For a 20 percent discount on Matt’s Hollywood insider newsletter, ‘What I’m Hearing ...,’ click here. Email u...

Matt is joined by Sheila Nevins, producer and former president of HBO Documentary Films, to discuss why she isn't bothered by the complicated state of documentaries. Thanks to streaming, documentaries are more popular than ever, reaching more households and finding consistent relevance in pop culture like never before. Sheila gives her take on the perception that quality filmmaking has ceded its p...

Matt is joined by WWE president Nick Khan to discuss the WWE’s $5 billion deal with Netflix, making the streaming giant the exclusive new home to WWE’s 'Raw' starting in January 2025. Nick talks about how the deal came together, the creative vision in a post–Vince McMahon world, the Rock’s return to the ring, what this deal means for the future of sports media, where he expects the brand to be in...

Matt is joined by Bloomberg’s Lucas Shaw to discuss what’s at stake in Disney’s proxy battle with billionaire corporate raider Nelson Peltz. With the annual shareholder meeting coming up this week, they dive into the war Peltz has waged against Disney and CEO Bob Iger, whether his case has any merit, and whether he could actually win. Matt finishes the show with a prediction about how the box offi...

Matt is joined by Van Lathan to discuss the complicated and nuanced relationship between TMZ and Hollywood. As a former TMZ employee, Van walks us through how the sausage is made at TMZ and outlines its aggressive reporting style, how it pays its sources, and how, despite its often negative perception, the mainstream media has become more like TMZ, not the other way around. For a 20 percent discou...

Matt is joined by Bloomberg’s Lucas Shaw to discuss the battle for time in the attention economy of streaming and social media. They parse through the latest data on how people spend their time and wonder whether streaming services are in danger of losing relevance with young millennials and Gen Z. They talk about whether legacy studios and streamers are worried about apps like TikTok and how they...

Matt is joined by Matt Panousis, the COO and cofounder of VFX and AI technology company MARZ, to discuss how AI is currently being implemented in Hollywood. Matt outlines the recent innovations and their impacts on VFX, dubbing, postproduction, digital makeup, and much more. Matt finishes the show with a box office prediction about the opening weekend of ‘Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire.’ For a 20 per...

Matt is joined by Puck’s Dylan Byers to check in on the world of television news and anchors like Don Lemon and Tucker Carlson exiting their perches and starting new careers on social media platforms like Twitter/X. They discuss whether these cable TV stars can retain their cachet and relevance, whether they can make as much money (or more), and whether the life after TV business model is sustaina...

Matt is joined by Bloomberg’s Lucas Shaw to craft The Town’s first ever Hollywood Power List: their definitive (and subjective!) ranking of who has the most “juice” a.k.a. the most influential figures in the entertainment business. Matt and Lucas debate who deserves to be in the top 10, who doesn’t, whether an actor will break the top 10, and who currently deserves the coveted top spot. For a 20 p...

Matt is joined by Jeremiah Reynolds, partner at Eisner LLP and copyright law expert, to untangle the recent plagiarism accusation by screenwriter Simon Stephenson over Alexander Payne’s ‘The Holdovers,’ then outline whether or not this case has merit. Matt and Jeremiah discuss famous past examples of copyright infringement, whether the WGA can help with plagiarism, and what a writer can do if they...

Matt is joined by Julia Alexander from Puck and Parrot Analytics to discuss what is and isn’t working in Netflix’s foray into live sports and sports-adjacent programming, and they outline how Netflix is experimenting to make a potential bid on live rights for a major sport. She reveals some data around Netflix viewership, explains why the sports documentary market is oversaturated, and outlines th...