Warner Bros. and Paramount Are Talking. Should They Merge?
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 these companies, and whether or not major mergers in modern Hollywood ever work. Matt finishes the show with a prediction about the weekend box office. 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 Greenfield Producers: Craig Horlbeck and Jessie Lopez Theme Song: Devon Renaldo Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
21 Des 202332min
The Biggest Debacles of 2023: Studio Screwups, Executive Misfires, and Underrated Disasters
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 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
18 Des 202336min
The Animation Arms Race With Illumination CEO Chris Meledandri
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 differs from the other major players in animation like Pixar and Disney Animation, DreamWorks, and more. Matt finishes the show with a box office prediction for the upcoming film ‘Wonka’. 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: Chris Meledandri Producers: Craig Horlbeck and Jessie Lopez Theme Song: Devon Renaldo Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
14 Des 202336min
Ted Sarandos on Netflix’s New Era of Data Transparency
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 in strategy, the downstream effect on the rest of the streamers, and how this will alter the deal-making market for creators. Matt finishes the show with a prediction about the fate of Paramount Global. 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: Ted Sarandos Producers: Craig Horlbeck and Jessie Lopez Theme Song: Devon Renaldo Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
13 Des 202340min
Are Streamers Helping or Hurting the Movie Business?
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 finishes the show with a box office prediction for Hayao Miyazaki's newest film, ‘The Boy and the Heron.’ 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: Ted Hope Producer: Craig Horlbeck Theme Song: Devon Renaldo Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
8 Des 202333min
The Companies Most Likely to Be Bought or Sold in 2024
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 prediction on a potential IATSE strike in the spring. 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: Sara Fischer Producer: Craig Horlbeck Theme Song: Devon Renaldo Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
7 Des 202333min
The Murky Metrics of Podcast Success
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 future of streamer bundling. 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: Ashley Carman Producer: Craig Horlbeck and Jessie Lopez Theme Song: Devon Renaldo Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
5 Des 202332min
The Biggest Streaming Power Moves of 2023
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 Hearing ...,’ click here. Email us your thoughts! thetown@spotify.com Host: Matt Belloni Guest: Julia Alexander Producer: Craig Horlbeck and Jessie Lopez Theme Song: Devon Renaldo Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
1 Des 202332min
