The Town with Matthew Belloni

Rich Gelfond, CEO of IMAX, discusses the success of 'Oppenheimer', China release, moviegoing shift to premium experiences, potential buyers for IMAX, and partnerships in the streaming industry.

Bloomberg's Lucas Shaw joins Matt to discuss the state of the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, the studios' strategy to divide and conquer, the role of Netflix, potential actor reactions, the ongoing writers strike, controversy surrounding box office numbers, and Hollywood's obsession with being number one.

Julia Alexander, Parrot Analytics director of strategy and Puck contributor, joins Matt to talk about Apple TV+ and its current standing with consumers, Apple's big bet on Major League Soccer, the dilemma of investing in live sports games versus original content, and the challenges Apple TV+ faces in competing with ESPN.

Shirley Halperin, editor in chief of Los Angeles magazine, joins Matt to discuss the Scooter Braun–Justin Bieber–Ariana Grande situation. They explore Scooter's rise, image cultivation, and artists trying to cut ties with him as their manager.

Bloomberg's Lucas Shaw joins Matt to predict Hollywood's September surprises, including the potential end of strikes, Universal's new executive, and the next studio head to go. They also discuss Tyler Perry's potential acquisition of BET, ESPN's standalone service, Peacock programming confusion, and release strategies for upcoming movies.

John Mass, president of Content Partners, discusses how movies reach profitability, misconceptions about movie revenue, and the value of a movie despite poor box office performance. Topics include establishing a secondary market for talent participation, licensing merchandise, impact of streaming platforms, sharing profits in franchises, changing dynamics of TV syndication, and challenges in promoting movies.

Podcast explores ESPN's foray into gambling, Disney's potential sale of ESPN, challenges of streaming sports rights, declining viewership of traditional sports channels, existence of ESPN Zone establishments, and recent lineup overhaul at CNN.

Matt is joined by Justine Bateman—writer, director, producer, former actress, and SAG-AFTRA negotiation committee consultant on the use of AI—to discuss if we are underestimating AI's overall impact and how it impacts the strike itself. They talk about whether the guilds are taking the right position on AI, what the future of content will look like if studios fully embrace AI, and if anything positive can come out of this. Matt finishes the show with a prediction about the future of the Disney+ bundle after their latest price hikes.For a 20 percent discount on Matt’s Hollywood insider newsletter, ‘What I’m Hearing ...,’ click here.Email us your thoughts! thetown@spotify.comHost: Matt BelloniGuest: Justine BatemanProducer: Craig Horlbeck and Jessie LopezTheme Song: Devon Renaldo Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Matt is joined by former CAA co-chairman and agent of 40 years Rick Nicita to talk about why the most important executives in Hollywood are so old, and how that affects the way the industry is run today. They discuss the difference between Hollywood in the ’70s and ’80s—when it was commonplace for studio heads to be in their 30s—and 2023, when most of the major executives are the very same people from back in the day. They talk about whether there is a direct line between the aging Hollywood and the diminished box office, and how creativity is more obstructed than ever by financial responsibilities.For a 20 percent discount on Matt’s Hollywood insider newsletter, ‘What I’m Hearing ...,’ click here.Email us your thoughts! thetown@spotify.comHost: Matt BelloniGuest: Rick NicitaProducer: Craig Horlbeck and Jessie LopezTheme Song: Devon Renaldo Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Matt is joined by Bloomberg’s Lucas Shaw to discuss one of Hollywood’s most hotly debated topics: data transparency among streamers. As the writers and actors strike drags on, data transparency continues to be a nonnegotiable for studios and a necessary inclusion for the guilds. Matt and Lucas discuss why the sides are so far apart, why streamers don’t want to release data, how data obscurity affects financials, and whether any of this could or should change. Matt finishes the show by recapping his Taylor Swift concert experience and making a prediction about how much money her tour will make.For a 20 percent discount on Matt’s Hollywood insider newsletter, ‘What I’m Hearing ...,’ click here.Email us your thoughts! thetown@spotify.comHost: Matt BelloniGuest: Lucas ShawProducer: Craig Horlbeck and Jessie LopezTheme Song: Devon Renaldo Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices