The Town with Matthew Belloni

Matt is joined by president of Endeavor Mark Shapiro to discuss the future of streaming, the evolving relationship between talent and representation in the creator economy, Endeavor’s interest in sports, gambling, and the college NIL market, as well as Monday Night Football’s future at ESPN. They discuss how agencies are making money nowadays and what they will look like in the next five to 10 years.Email us comments, questions, or ideas at thetown@spotify.comHost: Matt BelloniGuest: Mark ShapiroProducer: Craig HorlbeckTheme Song: Devon Renaldo Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In light of Trevor Noah’s recent announcement that he will be exiting 'The Daily Show,' Matt and Bloomberg’s Lucas Shaw discuss what has happened to Comedy Central and why the once-beloved comedy hub has been reduced to a channel for reruns. They also discuss the value the network brings to Paramount and what the future looks like for 'The Daily Show' and other late-night television shows.Email us comments, questions, or ideas at thetown@spotify.comHost: Matt BelloniGuest: Lucas ShawProducer: Craig HorlbeckTheme Song: Devon Renaldo Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Matt is joined by Mike Rinder, former senior executive of the Church of Scientology. They discuss the moment he decided to leave Scientology, Tom Cruise’s current standing in the church, the impact of 'Top Gun: Maverick,' the internet’s damning influence on the future of Scientology, and more—all detailed in his new book 'A Billion Years: My Escape From a Life in the Highest Ranks of Scientology.'Email us comments, questions, or ideas at thetown@spotify.comHost: Matt BelloniGuest: Mike RinderProducer: Craig HorlbeckTheme Song: Devon Renaldo Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Matt is joined by Puck’s Eriq Gardner to discuss Angelina Jolie’s countersuit against Brad Pitt, which includes claims that Pitt was abusive to Angelina and their children during a 2016 plane ride. Matt and Eriq focus on the business and legal implications of the lawsuit—which centers on a French winery Pitt and Jolie bought when they were married—and what this could mean for their careers moving forward.Email us comments, questions, or ideas at thetown@spotify.comHost: Matt BelloniGuest: Eriq GardnerProducer: Craig HorlbeckTheme Song: Devon Renaldo Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Matt is joined by Julia Alexander from Parrot Analytics to break down who is winning the biggest TV matchup in years, HBO’s ‘The House of the Dragon’ vs. Amazon’s 'The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.’ Matt and Julia dive into Nielsen's newly released ratings and determine which show is benefiting its host platform the most.Email us comments, questions, or ideas at thetown@spotify.comHost: Matt BelloniGuest: Julia AlexanderProducer: Craig HorlbeckTheme Song: Devon Renaldo Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Matt is joined by Bill Simmons to discuss the current state of 'SNL' ahead of the Season 48 premiere this Saturday night. Lorne Michaels recently described this season as a “year of reinvention” for 'SNL,' and Matt and Bill preview how this year will look different, why the show has struggled creating stars lately, what it can learn from past seasons, and Lorne’s future with the show.Email us comments, questions, or ideas at thetown@spotify.comHost: Matt BelloniGuest: Bill SimmonsProducer: Craig HorlbeckTheme Song: Devon Renaldo Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hollywood has a reputation for being a fairly progressive industry, but when it comes to gender equality, there is still plenty of work to do. Matt is joined by CNBC's senior media & tech correspondent Julia Boorstin to talk about her new book, ‘When Women Lead,’ and discuss the lingering gender gap in Hollywood and lack of female CEOs in entertainment and media industries, why women are particularly adept to lead companies, and what has changed since the #MeToo movement.Email us comments, questions, or ideas at thetown@spotify.comHost: Matt BelloniGuest: Julia BoorstinProducer: Craig HorlbeckTheme Song: Devon Renaldo Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Disclaimer: This episode was recorded before the ratings of the most recent ‘Thursday Night Football’ game on Amazon Prime between The Pittsburgh Steelers and the Cleveland Browns were released.Matt is joined by Sports Business Journal's John Ourand to discuss Amazon’s impressive start as an exclusive NFL streamer for ‘Thursday Night Football.’ Amazon’s Week 2 debut between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Los Angeles Chargers drew ratings similar to broadcast television, raising the eyebrows of viewers, advertisers, and television network executives alike. Is this the future?Email us comments, questions, or ideas at thetown@spotify.comHost: Matt BelloniGuest: John OurandProducer: Craig HorlbeckTheme Song: Devon Renaldo Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Welcome to Town Hall! Matt and Craig answer listener questions on Disney’s handling of the 'Star Wars' franchise, the biggest movie set disasters, 'Top Gun' and Tom Cruise’s Oscar buzz, Paramount’s stellar summer and who is responsible, Hollywood’s biggest bets in 2023, the future of the live award show, Apple TV+’s ambitions, and more.Sign up for Matt’s Hollywood newsletter at 20% off HERE.Email us comments, questions, or ideas at thetown@spotify.com.Host: Matt BelloniGuest: Lucas ShawProducer: Craig HorbeckTheme Song: Devon Renaldo Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Matt is joined by David Herrin, founder of film research firm The Quorum, to discuss Olivia Wilde’s upcoming film, ‘Don’t Worry Darling,’ and whether the media frenzy and off-screen controversy will affect its performance at the box office. They also look back on past films wrapped up in controversy and determine whether publicity leads to success or failure.Sign up for Matt’s Hollywood newsletter at 20% off HERE.Email us comments, questions, or ideas at thetown@spotify.com.Host: Matt BelloniGuest: David HerrinProducer: Craig HorlbeckTheme Song: Craig Horlbeck Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices