The Town with Matthew Belloni

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 opening weekend box office prediction on the upcoming horror film ‘Abigail.’ For a 20 percent discount on Matt’s Hollywood insider newsletter, ‘What I’m Hearing ...,’ click here. Email us your thoughts! thetown@spotify.com Host: Matt Belloni Guest: Nathan Hubbard Producers: Craig Horlbeck and Jessie Lopez Theme Song: Devon Renaldo Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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 a prediction about Netlfix’s Q1 earnings For a 20 percent discount on Matt’s Hollywood insider newsletter, ‘What I’m Hearing ...,’ click here. Email us your thoughts! thetown@spotify.com Host: Matt Belloni Guest: John Peters Producers: Craig Horlbeck and Jessie Lopez Theme Song: Devon Renaldo Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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 and Travis Kelce’s podcast, ‘New Heights.’ For a 20 percent discount on Matt’s Hollywood insider newsletter, ‘What I’m Hearing ...,’ click here. Email us your thoughts! thetown@spotify.com Host: Matt Belloni Guest: Lucas Shaw Producers: Craig Horlbeck and Jessie Lopez Theme Song: Devon Renaldo Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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 show with an opening-weekend box office prediction for Alex Garland’s newest film, ‘Civil War.' For a 20 percent discount on Matt’s Hollywood insider newsletter, ‘What I’m Hearing ...,’ click here. Email us your thoughts! thetown@spotify.com Host: Matt Belloni Guest: Rich Gelfond Producers: Craig Horlbeck and Jessie Lopez Theme Song: Devon Renaldo Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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 like Apple and Amazon, a potential Warner Bros. Discovery merger, and the government's role in all of this. For a 20 percent discount on Matt’s Hollywood insider newsletter, ‘What I’m Hearing ...,’ click here. Email us your thoughts! thetown@spotify.com Host: Matt Belloni Guest: Matt Stoller Producers: Craig Horlbeck and Jessie Lopez Theme Song: Devon Renaldo Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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 us your thoughts! thetown@spotify.com Host: Matt Belloni Guest: Lucas Shaw Producers: Craig Horlbeck and Jessie Lopez Theme Song: Devon Renaldo Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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 path to quantity in the streaming age, our cultural obsession with murder and crime, and whether we need to change the way we think about documentary films. Matt finishes the show with a box office opening weekend prediction for ‘The First Omen’ and ‘Monkey Man’. For a 20 percent discount on Matt’s Hollywood insider newsletter, ‘What I’m Hearing ...,’ click here. Email us your thoughts! thetown@spotify.com Host: Matt Belloni Guest: Sheila Nevins Producers: Craig Horlbeck and Jessie Lopez Theme Song: Devon Renaldo Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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 three to five years, the looming NBA rights deal, 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.com Host: Matt Belloni Guest: Nick Khan Producer: Craig Horlbeck and Jessie Lopez Theme Song: Devon Renaldo Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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 office will fare in Q2. For a 20 percent discount on Matt’s Hollywood insider newsletter, ‘What I’m Hearing ...,’ click here. Email us your thoughts! thetown@spotify.com Host: Matt Belloni Guest: Lucas Shaw Producer: Craig Horlbeck and Jessie Lopez Theme Song: Devon Renaldo Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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 discount on Matt’s Hollywood insider newsletter, ‘What I’m Hearing ...,’ click here. Email us your thoughts! thetown@spotify.com Host: Matt Belloni Guest: Van Lathan Producers: Craig Horlbeck and Jessie Lopez Theme Song: Devon Renaldo Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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 are working to compete with them. Matt finishes the show with a prediction about Season 3 of 'Euphoria.' For a 20 percent discount on Matt’s Hollywood insider newsletter, ‘What I’m Hearing ...,’ click here. Email us your thoughts! thetown@spotify.com Host: Matt Belloni Guest: Lucas Shaw Producers: Craig Horlbeck and Jessie Lopez Theme Song: Devon Renaldo Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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 percent discount on Matt’s Hollywood insider newsletter, ‘What I’m Hearing ...,’ click here. Email us your thoughts! thetown@spotify.com Host: Matt Belloni Guest: Matt Panousis Producers: Craig Horlbeck and Jessie Lopez Theme Song: Devon Renaldo Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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 sustainable. Matt finishes the show with a prediction about men vs. women's March Madness ratings. For a 20 percent discount on Matt’s Hollywood insider newsletter, ‘What I’m Hearing ...,’ click here. Email us your thoughts! thetown@spotify.com Host: Matt Belloni Guest: Dylan Byers Producer: Craig Horlbeck and Jessie Lopez Theme Song: Devon Renaldo Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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 percent discount on Matt’s Hollywood insider newsletter, ‘What I’m Hearing ...,’ click here. Email us your thoughts! thetown@spotify.com Host: Matt Belloni Guest: Lucas Shaw Producer: Craig Horlbeck and Jessie Lopez Theme Song: Devon Renaldo Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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 feel their idea is being stolen. Matt finishes the show with a prediction about the films that will premiere at South by Southwest. For a 20 percent discount on Matt’s Hollywood insider newsletter, ‘What I’m Hearing ...,’ click here. Email us your thoughts! thetown@spotify.com Host: Matt Belloni Guest: Jeremiah Reynolds Producers: Craig Horlbeck and Jessie Lopez Theme Song: Devon Renaldo Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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 the importance of live sports for Netflix’s bottom line. Matt finishes the show with a prediction on the opening weekend box office for the new Mark Wahlberg film ‘Arthur the King.’ For a 20 percent discount on Matt’s Hollywood insider newsletter, ‘What I’m Hearing ...,’ click here. Email us your thoughts! thetown@spotify.com Host: Matt Belloni Guest: Julia Alexander Producers: Craig Horlbeck and Jessie Lopez Theme Song: Devon Renaldo Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Matt is joined by Bloomberg’s Lucas Shaw to discuss the various winners and losers from the Academy Awards, including Universal Studios, film chief Donna Langley, Christopher Nolan, and Disney's Searchlight Pictures as winners and Apple and Netflix as losers. Now, with awards season officially in the books, Matt and Lucas create their new movie studio power rankings. For a 20 percent discount on Matt’s Hollywood insider newsletter, ‘What I’m Hearing ...,’ click here. Email us your thoughts! thetown@spotify.com Host: Matt Belloni Guest: Lucas Shaw Producer: Craig Horlbeck and Jessie Lopez Theme Song: Devon Renaldo Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Matt is joined by Mosaic talent manager and Oscar enthusiast Michael Lasker to parse through the awards season chatter to find a gambling edge on the Academy Awards. Matt and Michael discuss whether anyone has a shot at defeating 'Oppenheimer,' Emma Stone vs. Lily Gladstone, the tight screenplay races, and whether history still plays a role in who wins. Matt finishes the show with a prediction about the opening weekend box office numbers for 'Kung Fu Panda 4.' For a 20 percent discount on Matt’s Hollywood insider newsletter, ‘What I’m Hearing ...,’ click here. Email us your thoughts! thetown@spotify.com Host: Matt Belloni Guest: Michael Lasker Producers: Craig Horlbeck and Jessie Lopez Theme Song: Devon Renaldo Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Matt is joined by Puck’s longtime fashion journalist, Lauren Sherman, to discuss the business of the red carpet, the amount of money celebrities can make from high-end luxury brands, and the state of the Oscars as a fashion and brand platform. Lauren tells us which stars have the biggest brand deals, who has broken out this year, and how a stylist can take them to the next level. Matt finishes the show with a prediction about another possible strike in Hollywood, then delivers some gossip about a certain A-list celebrity's attendance at the Oscars. For a 20 percent discount on Matt’s Hollywood insider newsletter, ‘What I’m Hearing ...,’ click here. Email us your thoughts! thetown@spotify.com Host: Matt Belloni Guest: Lauren Sherman Producers: Craig Horlbeck and Jessie Lopez Theme Song: Devon Renaldo Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Matt is joined by Bloomberg’s Lucas Shaw to discuss the big changes on the film side of Netflix and Disney, and what these moves signal for each studio. Netflix hired producer Dan Lin as their new head of film, and Disney promoted David Greenbaum as their new head of Disney Live Action and 20th Century Studios. Dramatically fewer movies at Netflix, Disney goes for more original hits, big changes at Netflix and Disney and maybe the kinds of movies that get made. Matt finishes the show with a prediction about the upcoming release of the ‘Taylor Swift: The Era’s Tour’ movie on Disney+. For a 20 percent discount on Matt’s Hollywood insider newsletter, ‘What I’m Hearing ...,’ click here. Email us your thoughts! thetown@spotify.com Host: Matt Belloni Guest: Lucas Shaw Producers: Craig Horlbeck and Jessie Lopez Theme Song: Devon Renaldo Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices