Everyone Hates Ticketmaster, but Is It a Monopoly?
Matt is joined by Puck’s Eriq Gardner to discuss the U.S. government's monopoly lawsuit against Ticketmaster and Live Nation (02:58). They briefly go through the history of the Ticketmaster–Live Nation merger, what lead to the eventual lawsuit, why concert prices won’t go down even if the two companies split, whether this lawsuit is just a PR attack against Ticketmaster, what impact this could have on the secondary markets, what a broken up Ticketmaster–Live Nation would look like, and more. Matt finishes the show with a prediction for this weekend’s holiday box office (27:00). For a 20 percent discount on Matt’s Hollywood insider newsletter, ‘What I’m Hearing ...,’ click this link: puck.news/thetown Email us your thoughts! thetown@spotify.com Host: Matt Belloni Guest: Eriq Gardner Producer: Jessie Lopez Theme Song: Devon Renaldo Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
24 Maj 202432min
Scarlett Johansson Vs. OpenAI: Does She Have a Case?
Matt is joined by Greenberg Glusker partner and entertainment litigator Aaron Moss to discuss the situation between Scarlett Johansson and OpenAI (03:38). They discuss what rights were possibly implicated, talk about the different routes she can take if she decides to file a lawsuit, and compare previous similar cases to determine if she could win. Matt finishes the show by making a prediction on the future of the CW Network (26:01). For a 20 percent discount on Matt’s Hollywood insider newsletter, ‘What I’m Hearing ...,’ click this link: puck.news/thetown Email us your thoughts! thetown@spotify.com Host: Matt Belloni Guest: Aaron Moss Producer: Jessie Lopez Theme Song: Devon Renaldo Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
22 Maj 202432min
A War Is Coming Over Hollywood Pay
Matt is joined by Bloomberg’s Lucas Shaw to discuss why Netflix, Apple, and other streaming platforms are looking to change how they pay actors (03:25). After years of paying big up-front checks with no back end, streamers are looking to balance out their ballooning budgets by better aligning pay with performance. They debate why this change is happening now, how advertisements on these platforms could bring about more transparency, and whether this new model could actually work. Matt finishes the show with predictions on Kevin Costner’s ‘Horizon: An American Saga’ and Francis Ford Coppola’s ‘Megalopolis’ (24:36). For a 20 percent discount on Matt’s Hollywood insider newsletter, ‘What I’m Hearing ...,’ click this link: puck.news/thetown Email us your thoughts! thetown@spotify.com Host: Matt Belloni Guest: Lucas Shaw Producer: Jessie Lopez Theme Song: Devon Renaldo Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
20 Maj 202432min
NFL on Netflix, and Big Tech’s TV Upfronts Takeover
Matt is joined by media analyst Rich Greenfield to give out their biggest takeaways from the TV up-fronts, including Netlifx’s three-year deal with the NFL, YouTube’s impressive viewership data, Amazon’s slew of splashy announcements, and why this year might mark a turning point in media (02:20). Matt finishes the show with a discussion of the newest ‘Wicked’ trailer and the future of two-part movies (24:55). For a 20 percent discount on Matt’s Hollywood insider newsletter, ‘What I’m Hearing ...,’ click this link: puck.news/thetown 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
16 Maj 202432min
Latinos See More Movies Than Anyone. Why Is Hollywood Ignoring Them?
Matt is joined by Camilo Becdach, a partner at McKinsey, to discuss how improving on-and off-screen representation of Latinos could generate billions of dollars in new revenue for the film industry. Latinos are the most avid filmgoers per capita in the United States, and Camilo argues that Hollywood is leaving $12-18 billion on the table every year by underrepresenting Latinos on and behind the screen. He also outlines the barriers at the executive level confronting Latinos in entertainment, and what the industry can do to fix this (02:39). Matt finishes the show with an opening-weekend box office prediction on the John Krasinski–directed animated film ‘IF,’ starring Ryan Reynolds (22:42). For a 20 percent discount on Matt’s Hollywood insider newsletter, ‘What I’m Hearing ...,’ click this link: puck.news/thetown Email us your thoughts! thetown@spotify.com Host: Matt Belloni Guest: Camilo Becdach Producers: Craig Horlbeck and Jessie Lopez Theme Song: Devon Renaldo Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
15 Maj 202429min
Disney+ and Max Have Bundled, Who’s Next?
Matt is joined by Bloomberg’s Lucas Shaw to discuss the new bundle starting this summer that will combine Disney+, Hulu, and Max. They pick winners and losers of the deal, and wonder who might be the next to join in on the Great Re-Bundling (02:50). Matt finishes with a prediction about Netflix’s potential involvement with the NFL (25:01). For a 20 percent discount on Matt’s Hollywood insider newsletter, ‘What I’m Hearing ...,’ click this link: puck.news/thetown 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
13 Maj 202432min
Are Producers in Hollywood Nearing Extinction?
Matt is joined by longtime producers Cathy Schulman and Lorenzo di Bonaventura to discuss the devaluation of producers in Hollywood, and their push for better rights under their new collective, Producers United. They outline why producers don’t have it as good as most might think, what a producer actually does, how they're getting squeezed financially, whether they will still be around in the future, and how what a producer does impacts the television and movies we all watch and enjoy. Matt finishes the show with an opening-weekend box office prediction for the new film ‘Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes.’ For a 20 percent discount on Matt’s Hollywood insider newsletter, ‘What I’m Hearing ...,’ click this link: puck.news/thetown Email us your thoughts! thetown@spotify.com Host: Matt Belloni Guest: Cathy Schulman and Lorenzo di Bonaventura Producers: Craig Horlbeck and Jessie Lopez Theme Song: Devon Renaldo Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
9 Maj 202436min
The Year of Peacock?
Matt is joined by the president of Peacock, Kelly Campbell, to discuss Peacock’s unique place in the streaming universe, how live sports supercharged its growth, and how it plans to improve its coverage of the Olympics as their exclusive digital home. They also discuss how gaining NBA rights could affect Peacock’s content output and whether a joint venture with Paramount Plus or Max could ever work. Matt finishes the show with a prediction about ESPN’s over-the-top service after Disney’s latest earnings call. For a 20 percent discount on Matt’s Hollywood insider newsletter, ‘What I’m Hearing ...,’ click this link: puck.news/thetown Email us your thoughts! thetown@spotify.com Host: Matt Belloni Guest: Kelly Campbell Producers: Craig Horlbeck and Jessie Lopez Theme Song: Devon Renaldo Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
8 Maj 202430min
