The Town with Matthew Belloni

Matt is joined by The Ringer’s Bill Simmons to talk about the painful split between the NBA and Turner after a 30-year partnership. They discuss why the relationship blew up, details and questions surrounding the move of the popular studio talk show ‘Inside the NBA’ to ESPN, and whether there is a chance that this will work out for Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav in the long run.

For a 20 percent discount on Matt’s Hollywood insider newsletter, ‘What I’m Hearing ...,’ click here.

Email us your thoughts! [email protected]

Host: Matt Belloni

Guest: Bill Simmons

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 talk about Disney reaching profitability in streaming, how Bob Iger managed to turn the company around in his two years since returning as CEO, and whether this is the beginning of a larger turnaround for Disney. Later, they discuss Netflix’s Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson boxing event, the glitchy live broadcast, what this means for Netflix in general, and its upcoming NFL games on Christmas (03:03). Matt finishes the show by predicting how recently announced Oscars host Conan O’Brien will affect the ratings of the 2025 Academy Awards (24:12).

For a 20 percent discount on Matt’s Hollywood insider newsletter, ‘What I’m Hearing ...,’ click here.

Email us your thoughts! [email protected]

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 Charlie Collier, the president of Roku Media, to talk about the most under-discussed streaming player in Hollywood, how it differentiates itself from other companies, and how they compete with tech giants Amazon and Google. He also discusses what he learned running AMC and Fox’s broadcast network and how the industry has changed, then makes the case for the return of ad-supported television on streaming (02:53). Matt finishes the show by commenting on John Krasinski as People’s Sexiest Man Alive and explains how ‘People Magazine’ chooses its winners (26:17).

For a 20 percent discount on Matt’s Hollywood insider newsletter, ‘What I’m Hearing ...,’ click here.

Email us your thoughts! [email protected]

Host: Matt Belloni

Guest: Charlie Collier

Producers: Craig Horlbeck and Jessie Lopez

Theme Song: Devon Renaldo

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Matt is joined by R.J. Cutler, director of the Netflix documentary ‘Martha,’ as well as the upcoming film ‘Elton John: Never Too Late,’ to talk about Martha Stewart’s disapproval of the film, directors maintaining creative control over their projects, and the inherent and necessary struggle of collaborating with a major celebrity on a documentary (02:17). Matt finishes the show with an opening weekend box office prediction for the new Christmas movie ‘Red One’ (25:57).

For a 20 percent discount on Matt’s Hollywood insider newsletter, ‘What I’m Hearing ...,’ click here.

Email us your thoughts! [email protected]

Host: Matt Belloni

Guest: R.J. Cutler

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 latest Warner Bros. Discovery earnings and if streaming has finally turned a corner in becoming a viable business (02:53). Then they dig into Netflix recently granting Greta Gerwig’s upcoming Narnia movie IMAX theaters and if this marks the beginning of a new trend for Netflix (13:22). Finally, they get into why a seemingly great Clint Eastwood movie, 'Juror #2' has been buried by its studio, Warner Bros. Discovery (20:19). Matt finishes the show with a prediction about the future of the ‘Mission Impossible’ franchise (26:21).

For a 20 percent discount on Matt’s Hollywood insider newsletter, ‘What I’m Hearing ...,’ click here.

Email us your thoughts! [email protected]

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 Axios media reporter Sara Fischer to discuss the Hollywood business implications of the second Trump presidency. They get into the possibility for more M&A, specifically Warner Bros. Discovery and LIV-PGA, whether Trump will go after big tech, the future of TikTok in the United States, and the future of content moderation (02:31). Matt finishes the show with a prediction related to the latest announcement that a new ‘Star Wars’ trilogy is in the works (26:57).

For a 20 percent discount on Matt’s Hollywood insider newsletter, ‘What I’m Hearing ...,’ click here.

Email us your thoughts! [email protected]

Host: Matt Belloni

Guest: Sara Fischer

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 Mass, president of Content Partners, to talk about how making money in TV has changed in the last 10 to 15 years. John walks us through how a TV show is financed, how the market has changed because of the streaming model, and how it has upended the way participants make money. They also talk about the bygone days of producers owning shows, the heyday of the syndication era, and if a correction is coming (02:29). Matt finishes the episode with a prediction about the upcoming battle between ‘Wicked: Part One’ and ‘Gladiator 2’ (34:38).

For a 20 percent discount on Matt’s Hollywood insider newsletter, ‘What I’m Hearing ...,’ click here.

Email us your thoughts! [email protected]

Host: Matt Belloni

Guest: John Mass

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 Comcast's exploration of spinning off its cable assets into a separate company, which could potentially mark the wider restructuring of its NBCUniversal division. They talk about how legacy media companies are struggling with how to handle their linear television business, what a division of assets might look like for Comcast, and whether a streaming partner makes sense for NBC and Peacock (02:43). Matt finishes the show with a ratings prediction for the 2024 presidential election (26:05).

For a 20 percent discount on Matt’s Hollywood insider newsletter, ‘What I’m Hearing ...,’ click here.

Email us your thoughts! [email protected]

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 Tobias Queisser, the CEO of Cinelytic, to make the case for AI as a tool and not the enemy in Hollywood. He explains how AI can help studios green-light the right movies and help financiers invest in the right projects. He explains how his predictive models work and why AI should not be seen as a villain when it is used on the business side and not for creative (02:27). Matt finishes the show with an opening weekend box office prediction for Robert Zemeckis’s newest film, ‘Here,’ starring Tom Hanks and Robin Wright (24:44).

For a 20 percent discount on Matt’s Hollywood insider newsletter, ‘What I’m Hearing ...,’ click here.

Email us your thoughts! [email protected]

Host: Matt Belloni

Guests: Tobias Queisser

Producers: Craig Horlbeck and Jessie Lopez

Theme Song: Devon Renaldo

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Live from NeueHouse in L.A. Matt is joined by Lucas Shaw and FX CEO John Landgraf for the second half of their conversation about the state of television. They discuss his curation process at FX, how Disney has changed FX, how ‘Shogun’ came together, and what happened with Season 3 of ‘The Bear.’ They also talk about HBO's recent struggles, the importance of process and the problem with the decentralized power at streaming services (01:34).

For a 20 percent discount on Matt’s Hollywood insider newsletter, ‘What I’m Hearing ...,’ click here.

Email us your thoughts! [email protected]

Host: Matt Belloni

Guests: Lucas Shaw and John Landgraf

Producers: Craig Horlbeck and Jessie Lopez

Theme Song: Devon Renaldo

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices