Do Standing Ovations at Film Festivals Mean Anything? The Town Investigates.

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

17 Apr 202431min

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

15 Apr 202438min

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

11 Apr 202432min

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

10 Apr 202436min

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

8 Apr 202432min

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

4 Apr 202432min

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

3 Apr 202446min

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

1 Apr 202432min