PODCAST · society
The Town with Matthew Belloni
by The Ringer
Puck founding partner Matthew Belloni takes you inside Hollywood, using exclusive reporting and insight to explain the backstories on everything from Marvel movies to streaming wars. Multiple times each week, Matt is joined by major executives, dealmakers, and journalists, to discuss what is getting made and why, who is winning and losing, and what people in show business are actually talking about.
Episodes
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Lord and Miller on ‘Project Hail Mary’ Secrets, Losing ‘Solo’, and Good Studio Execs
The Town College Film School is back with a visit to USC, where Matt and Bloomberg’s Lucas Shaw are joined by writers-producers-directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller ('Project Hail Mary', 'Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse', '21 Jump Street') to discuss making ‘Project Hail Mary’, how they work...
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Why You Don’t Need a Major Studio to Release Your Movie Anymore
Matt is joined by Jason Brenek, CEO of Fathom Entertainment, to discuss why the creators of the new big-budget animated film 'Wildwood’ are bypassing a traditional studio to distribute and market the film with Fathom Entertainment instead. They get into the growing popularity of going to the...
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What Netflix's Exec Purge Means for Its Movies and TV
Matt is joined by Bloomberg’s Lucas Shaw to discuss the big executive shakeup at Netflix, which included the firings of chief content officer Bela Bajaria and head of film Dan Lin. They break down why this happened now, what to expect from new chief content officer Peter Rice, how will this…
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Bring Back Fin-Syn? The Forgotten Rule That Could Save Hollywood
Matt is joined by head of business affairs at UTA Rich Shuter and producer Cathy Schulman to discuss why the government needs to reinstate the Fin-Syn rules (Financial Interest and Syndication Rules), the pressures the current era of vertical integration and consolidation has put on Hollywood…
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Five Narratives That Could Swing the 2026 Awards Season
Matt is joined by Kyle Buchanan, former New York Times journalist and host of The Kyle Buchanan Show, to discuss the biggest narratives heading into awards season this year. They discuss if 'The Odyssey' is already a lock to win Best Picture, if Inde Navarrette can win Best Actress, if 'Dune…
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The Six Toughest Decisions David Ellison Faces With WarnerMount
Matt is joined by Bloomberg’s Lucas Shaw to look ahead at what WarnerMount will look like now that the merger is likely to go through. They discuss the biggest questions surrounding the new megacompany, including who will run their multiple movie studios, how involved David Ellison will be...
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Danny Boyle on Depicting Murdoch, AI, Bond, and ‘28 Years Later’
Live from the BFI London Film Festival, Matt is joined by director Danny Boyle to talk about his new film, ‘Ink’, depicting Rupert Murdoch, his influence on news and journalism, why he used AI in his film, almost directing a James Bond movie, and the future of the 28 Years Later franchise…
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Welcome to Skydance! Movies, TV ... and Massive Debt
Matt is joined by Rich Greenfield from LightShed Partners to discuss the complicated financials behind Hollywood's new media behemoth, Skydance, how the company will be heavily influenced by being nearly $80 billion in debt, how the NFL, movie studios, cable channels, and more will be affected…
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The Hollywood Stock Market: Johnny Depp, Curry Barker, Spielberg, MrBeast, and More!
Live from Bloomberg’s Screentime event in Hollywood, Matt and Lucas Shaw make the case to buy or sell various entities across the entertainment industry, including Johnny Depp, Curry Barker, Steven Spielberg, DreamWorks Animation, Alex Cooper, MrBeast, the World Cup, and more (01:28). Host: Matt...
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Why Every Agency Wants a Piece of the Creator Economy
Matt is joined by Saul Goldberg, producer, investor, and former agent, to discuss how the creator economy has taken on a new importance in Hollywood, and how traditional entertainment players are making the transition over to director to consumer, if creators even needed agents and professional...
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The Ari Emanuel Experience
Matt is joined by Ari Emanuel—executive chair and CEO of TKO, executive chair of WME Group, and founder and principal investor of Mari—to discuss his new memoir, 'Roll the Calls'; why he didn’t mention CAA’s Bryan Lourd in the book; his relationship with Patrick Whitesell, David Ellison, and…
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Dissecting the Bill That Could Transform Hollywood, With Its Co-Author
Matt is joined by California Congresswoman Laura Friedman to discuss the new bipartisan federal tax incentive bill she helped author that was just introduced today in both houses of Congress. Congresswoman Friedman outlines exactly what is in the bill, what isn't, if a vote could happen this…
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Jeffrey Katzenberg on Why Hollywood Must Embrace AI
Matt is joined by Jeffrey Katzenberg and Bloomberg’s Lucas Shaw to discuss Jeffrey’s latest essay insisting that Hollywood embrace AI, similarities to CGI animation in the '90s and 2000s, the importance of consent and compensation, and why this could create more jobs and opportunities for...
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Emergency Pod: Paramount Settles—and Bonta Caves
Matt is joined by Bloomberg's Lucas Shaw to discuss Paramount settling its lawsuit with a group of states led by California Attorney General Rob Bonta, paving the way for Paramount Skydance to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery. They dig into the details of the deal, including the concessions (or…
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Tom Cruise and the New Age of Celebrity Profiles
Matt is joined by Zach Baron, GQ's senior special projects editor and host of new show ‘One More Question,’ to discuss the modern celebrity press tour, the art of celebrity profiles, interviewing Tom Cruise, what celebs want out of the media in 2026, and the state of access journalism (02:22).…
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2026 Emmys Instant Reactions: Is Apple Really the New HBO? What Happened to Netflix?
Matt is joined by Bloomberg’s Lucas Shaw to recap the 2026 Emmys and give their takes on the biggest narratives coming ou)t of the show, including Apple’s big night with 'Widow’s Bay,' its ascent in the prestige TV genre over the past few years, its competition with HBO, Netflix’s recent…
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How to Run a Specialty Studio in 2026, with Searchlight President
Live from TIFF, Matt is joined by the president of Searchlight Pictures, Matthew Greenfield along with Bloomberg’s Lucas Shaw to discuss how to run a specialty film division in 2026, what it's like being a part of the Disney machine, how to know if a movie is theatrical, how they compare…
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‘Resident Evil’ and the Tightrope of Relaunching Old IP
Matt is joined by Oliver Berben, CEO of Constantin Film, to discuss the upcoming ‘Resident Evil’ film, how Zach Cregger got involved, how Constantin gained control of the IP, the international film business, franchise management, Constantin’s involvement in Marvel, and how European companies stay...
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Four Big Stories: Emmys ’26, Summer Box Office Pushback, Fed Tax Credit Odds, and ‘60 Minutes’ 2.0
Matt is joined by Bloomberg’s Lucas Shaw to discuss a slew of topics from around town, including the biggest narratives around this year's Emmy Awards, a new report offering skepticism about this summer's huge box office, the chances of a federal tax credit passing, and whether the changes to ‘60...
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The 2026 Summer Box Office Winners, Losers, and Head-Scratchers
Matt is joined by Puck’s box office expert Scott Mendelson to judge their early summer box office predictions by looking at the biggest hits, misses, and questions from the 2026 summer slate. 'The Devil Wears Prada 2' (02:53) 'Mortal Kombat II' (05:41) 'Mandalorian & Grogu' (06:51) 'Masters of…
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Did Donald Trump Just Save Filmmaking in America?
Matt is joined by Film USA cofounders Tony Armer and Katie Pryor to discuss President Trump’s public endorsement of a federal tax credit for film production in the United States, how this could reshape filmmaking in America, how it could transform the filmmaking industry, how the tax credit would...
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The Five Biggest Hollywood Storylines for the Rest of 2026
Matt is joined by Bloomberg’s Lucas Shaw to examine the biggest industry narratives heading into the final stretch of the year. Can Netflix break its slump? How much will Netflix vs. YouTube continue to escalate? How disruptive will 'Grand Theft Auto VI' be? Who will get World Cup rights in 2030?...
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Disney's Biggest Swings and Misses, Plus Iger vs. Eisner—With the Acquired Guys
Matt is joined by the hosts of the Acquired podcast, Ben Gilbert and David Rosenthal, to discuss their two-part series on the history of The Walt Disney Company; what surprised them the most during their deep research; Disney's most precarious investments, biggest missteps, and best acquisitions;...
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America vs. the U.K.: Who Makes Better TV Shows?
Live from the Edinburgh International Television Festival, Matt is joined by veteran TV execs Patrick Holland, Jane Root, and Dimitri Doganis to discuss why the U.K. is so good at making hit TV shows, how producers can own more of their shows, YouTube’s influence, and, of course, Harry and Meghan...
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The WarnerMount PR War and the 'Dune 3' Ticket Crash
Matt is joined by Bloomberg’s Lucas Shaw to discuss Rob Bonta canceling the scheduled talks between Paramount and California over the Warner Bros. merger, the strategy behind this cancellation, and whether California is overplaying its hand. They also discuss the 'Dune 3' ticketing debacle that...
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Mailbag! Marvel’s Future, Johnny Depp’s Comeback, L.A.’s Recession, and Awkward Celeb Interactions.
(00:00) Matt opens up the summer mailbag to answer listener questions about Marvel’s future after 'Avengers: Doomsday,' the X-Men casting, Netflix’s need to lure big filmmakers, whether Johnny Depp’s comeback will work, why Meghan and Harry’s failed in Hollywood, worries that L.A. could become…
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The Business Secrets Behind the ‘Love Island’ Juggernaut
Matt is joined by David George, the CEO of ITV America, to dive into the massive success of 'Love Island,' how it became one of the biggest brands in unscripted TV, why they sold the show to Peacock, the market for selling reality shows nowadays, how much the show is really worth, sharing Fiji...
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What Will It Take to End the Paramount–Warner Bros. Standoff?
Matt is joined by Bloomberg’s Lucas Shaw to discuss Paramount’s threat to leave California if it doesn’t get a settlement, the discourse’s effect on David Ellison’s ability to get a deal done, how an extended delay could negatively impact Hollywood, and what needs to happen to get this deal done...
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Where Have All the Action Heroes Gone? With 'John Wick' Producer Basil Iwanyk
Matt is joined by producer Basil Iwanyk (John Wick, The Town, Sicario, The Expendables) to discuss the struggling state of the action movie market in America, why most studios have abandoned the original action movie business, casting an action star, and more (02:28). Matt finishes the show with…
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Why Can’t We Build More IMAX Theaters? With CEO Rich Gelfond
Matt is joined by IMAX CEO Rich Gelfond to discuss the massive summer at the box office, 'The Odyssey' being the highest grossing IMAX movie of all time, IMAX being openly for sale, why there aren't more true 70mm IMAX theaters, if there will be more, Infinity Vision, the cost of shooting a movie...
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Fox Stands Up to the NFL, a Big Change to TV Ownership, and Ellison Commits to 30 Movies
Matt is joined by Bloomberg’s Lucas Shaw to discuss why Fox is refusing to renegotiate their media rights deal with the NFL until their current deal expires after the 2029 season, the impact of the FCC repealing the local television ownership cap, and David Ellison’s contractual pledge with…
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The Case for Disney Exiting the Streaming Wars
Matt is joined by Wells Fargo analyst Steven Cahall to make the case for why Disney should exit the streaming business and focus only on producing and licensing its content. Steven digs into why Disney is well-positioned to leave streaming, the strength of its IP, and what Disney CEO Josh D’Amaro...
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Can the Paramount-WBD Merger Survive a Trial, Midterms, and a $650 Million Clock?
Matt is joined by Puck’s Eriq Gardner to discuss the March 2027 trial date that has been set for the Paramount–Warner Bros. Discovery antitrust case and what it means for the likelihood of this merger going through. They highlight the $650 million per quarter ticking fee Paramount has to pay in…
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Why Spider-Man Broke Records, and Why Peacock Partnered With YouTube
Matt is joined by Bloomberg’s Lucas Shaw to catch up with the biggest news around town, including a record-breaking opening weekend for 'Spider-Man: Brand New Day,' WarnerMount trial-date jockeying, and YouTube’s new deal with Peacock (02:24). Matt finishes the show with a prediction about a...
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The Future Blockbusters Draft, Part 2
Matt and Bloomberg’s Lucas Shaw finish The Town’s first Future Blockbusters Draft by filling the remaining five slots on their teams (01:12). Host: Matt Belloni Guest: Lucas Shaw Producers: Craig Horlbeck, Jessie Lopez, and Stefano Sanchez Theme Song: Devon Renaldo This episode is brought to you…
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The Future Blockbusters Draft: The Directors, Actors, and IP That Will Define the Next Decade
Matt and Bloomberg’s Lucas Shaw put on their studio chief hats and conduct the first Future Blockbusters Draft. In Part 1, they draft five elements (director, actor, or IP) they believe will define the box office for the next 10 years (00:34). Matt finishes the show with a prediction about the...
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The Surprising Winners of the AI-Enabled Entertainment Economy
Matt is joined by Sean Diffley, head of media and entertainment as well as cable and telecom research at Morgan Stanley to discuss a new system for stock picking called the MS Media Matrix, which ranks publicly traded entertainment companies based on audience and engagement, their interactivity,...
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Is Netflix Hurting YouTube by Poaching Talent?
Matt is joined by Bloomberg’s Lucas Shaw to debate whether Netflix or YouTube is winning the battle to dominate Hollywood. They move through the pros and cons of each platform, the new rules of engagement, whether podcasts are working on Netflix, whether YouTube should go after premium content…
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Paramount's Strategy to Beat California, With Its Top Lawyer
Matt is joined by Makan Delrahim, chief legal officer at Paramount, who argues his case in favor of Paramount's acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery. He explains what they are willing to concede, why the state's case should fail, why this deal improves competition, whether Paramount would leave...
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The Numbers That Have Netflix Investors Spooked
(00:00) Matt is joined by Guggenheim Senior Managing Director Michael Morris to discuss Netflix’s latest data dump and quarterly earnings report and assess why the market has started to turn on the streamer. They dig into why Netflix decided to reduce their engagement report release from…
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The Data Scientists Quietly Powering Hollywood’s Greenlight Machine
Matt is joined by professor Violaine Roussel, a professor of sociology at Paris 8 University, to discuss her new book 'Data Driven Hollywood: The New Data Professionals in the Age of Streaming,' which polls 75 data scientists employed at streamers and studios to explain how modern studios use…
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The Case Against WarnerMount, with CA Attorney General Rob Bonta
Matt and Bloomberg’s Lucas Shaw are joined by California Attorney General Rob Bonta to discuss California’s new lawsuit to block Paramount Skydance's acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery. They talk about what the lawsuit highlights and avoids, Paramount’s response, and the impact the acquisition...
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Is California's $750 Million Bet on Hollywood Working?
Matt is joined by Colleen Bell, the director of the California Film Commission, to check in on the state of film and TV production in California following the cap increase to $750M about a year ago. They discuss the increase in shoot days in California, how the new program works, whether a…
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Inside the Internet IP Gold Rush Sweeping Hollywood
Matt is joined by producer Scott Glassgold to discuss internet IP and the short-story boom that has taken over Hollywood after major successes in ‘Backrooms’ and ‘Obsession’, whether this is a micro or macro trend, how these internet stories are developed for the big screen, and whether studios...
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The Biggest Winners and Losers of 2026 So Far
Matt is joined by Bloomberg’s Lucas Shaw to select their winners and losers in the entertainment industry so far this year, from actors with surprise hits, studio heads with embarrassing flops, CEOs of struggling companies, and producers that made huge swings that paid off. Host: Matt Belloni...
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Why Attendance Tells a Better Story Than Box Office
Matt is joined by Steve Buck, chief strategy officer at EntTelligence to discuss how many people are actually going to the movies and clarify the difference between admission versus box office. Steve reveals whether rising box office grosses are matched by actual attendance, if ticket price...
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Will the Comcast-NBCU Split Lead to Another Huge Hollywood Deal?
Matt is joined by Bloomberg’s Lucas Shaw to discuss the news that NBCUniversal is splitting off from Comcast into a standalone company, the details of the deal, why this is happening now, and whether this opens the floodgates for more M&A (00:00). Matt finishes the show with a prediction about...
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How Larry Ellison’s Trump Bromance Is Helping WarnerMount
Matt is joined by WSJ reporter Emily Glazer to discuss her fascinating new piece highlighting Larry Ellison’s private friendship with Donald Trump and the impact it had on the Paramount M&A saga. Emily explains why Larry and Donald seem to get along so well, why Larry is bankrolling the…
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Amazon Won’t Release Its Sam Altman Movie. Will Anyone?
Matt is joined by Keach Hagey, a journalist at The Wall Street Journal and author of 'The Optimist: Sam Altman, OpenAI, and the Race to Invent the Future,' to discuss Amazon abandoning Luca Guadagnino’s movie ‘Artificial’ and looking to sell it to another studio to distribute. They talk about why...
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The Secret Industry That Makes Movies Go Viral
Matt is joined by journalist Lane Brown from New York Magazine to discuss his latest article digging into the insidious world of online clipping and narrative campaigning. Lane explains how virality and popularity are manufactured and engineered to resemble the improvised enthusiasm of human...
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
Puck founding partner Matthew Belloni takes you inside Hollywood, using exclusive reporting and insight to explain the backstories on everything from Marvel movies to streaming wars. Multiple times each week, Matt is joined by major executives, dealmakers, and journalists, to discuss what is getting made and why, who is winning and losing, and what people in show business are actually talking about.
HOSTED BY
The Ringer
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does The Town with Matthew Belloni have?
The Town with Matthew Belloni currently has 684 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is The Town with Matthew Belloni about?
Puck founding partner Matthew Belloni takes you inside Hollywood, using exclusive reporting and insight to explain the backstories on everything from Marvel movies to streaming wars. Multiple times each week, Matt is joined by major executives, dealmakers, and journalists, to discuss what is...
How often does The Town with Matthew Belloni release new episodes?
The Town with Matthew Belloni releases new episodes frequently with a large back catalog of 684 episodes. Check the episode list for recent publication dates.
Where can I listen to The Town with Matthew Belloni?
You can listen to The Town with Matthew Belloni on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts The Town with Matthew Belloni?
The Town with Matthew Belloni is created and hosted by The Ringer.
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