The Business

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Analyzing the Oscar noms w/ THR’s Scott Feinberg; Netflix has a strong Q4 Jan 24, 2025

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Netflix had a strong fourth quarter, adding 19 million subscribers to the streaming service before raising subscription prices across the board. Also, leaked footage muddies the water in the ongoing Blake Lively/Justin Baldoni war, and Trump announces a $500 billion AI initiative with Larry Ellison and Sam Altman. Will the project help or hurt Ellison’s stake in his son David’s purchase of Paramount? Kim Masters and Matt Belloni investigate.

Plus, Masters is joined by Scott Feinberg, The Hollywood Reporter’s Executive Editor of Awards, to break down who’s in and who’s out in this year's Oscar nominations.

ENCORE: ‘Sing Sing’ director Greg Kwedar models pay equity; This Week’s Banter: Hollywood turns on LA Mayor Karen Bass Jan 17, 2025

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Hollywood responds to a perceived lack of urgency from Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, a new twist develops in the Blake Lively/Justin Baldoni feud, and Donald Trump is unhappy with Comcast after comedian Seth Meyers makes fun of the incoming president. Kim Masters and Matt Belloni are here to help us all make sense of this relentless week.

Plus, we revisit our conversation between Masters and Sing Sing director Greg Kwedar. Everyone involved in the production was paid the same daily rate, a model that Kwedar hopes could bring more parity to film sets. The movie stars Colman Domingo as a wrongly-convicted man staging a play inside the real Sing Sing prison. Much of the cast includes formerly incarcerated actors playing versions of themselves.

Brady Corbet and Mona Fastvold on ‘The Brutalist'; Big swings and shake ups at Warner Bros Jan 10, 2025

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Warner Bros. has parted ways with its marketing chief and president of international distribution. What’s behind the shakeup at the studio and how does that affect the company’s slate of 2025 releases? Kim Masters and Matt Belloni dive in.

Plus, Masters speaks to The Brutalist co-writer & director Brady Corbet and co-writer Mona Fastvold. The pair talk about the seven-year battle to get their post war epic to the big screen. They also explain their audacious decision to make a three and a half hour film with an intermission, share thoughts on the state of the country, and Corbet reveals his thoughts about Trump’s plans to demolish brutalist federal buildings.

'Nosferatu' writer-director and Focus Features chairman on their long partnership; Inside the Blake Lively–Justin Baldoni feud Jan 03, 2025

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The feud between Blake Lively and It Ends with Us director Justin Baldoni continues to unfold. What's going on here? Kim Masters and Bloomberg's Lucas Shaw investigate.
Plus, Masters speaks to Nosferatu writer-director Robert Eggers and Focus Features chairman Peter Kujawski. The pair talk about their long partnership, which spans the director's entire career. Eggers also talks about winning over seasoned crews who have years more experience than he does, and why a little humor goes a long way in a movie like Nosferatu.

Kim Masters and Matt Belloni banter listener questions in mailbag episode of ‘The Business’ Dec 27, 2024

Show notes

As 2024 comes to an end, we want to thank you, our listeners! We asked you to send us your burning questions about the industry, and you delivered – from around the world. Kim Masters and Matt Belloni dish it out over everything from the mind numbing amount of trailers before movies, to the surprising reason behind FYC billboards – we’re looking at you, studio execs. Did we answer your question in our first ever listener mailbag? Tune in to find out!

Kim Masters and Matt Belloni banter listener questions in mailbag episode of ‘The Business’ Dec 27, 2024

Show notes

Megabanter 2024: Hollywood’s chaotic year of succession races, sports duels, and mergers Dec 20, 2024

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It’s that time of year again and we are serving up a heaping plate of 2024 Megabanter! The Paramount–Skydance merger finally lands, streamers and legacy studios duke it out for sports rights, Bob Iger makes his moves while the Disney board ramps up its succession race, and linear television continues to decline — what’s the story of the year? Banter buddies Lucas Shaw and Matt Belloni join Kim Masters to figure it out.

Rupert Murdoch denied bid to alter family trust; Documentarian Nic Stacey on the perils of over-consumption Dec 13, 2024

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Rupert Murdoch wants to update his family trust in favor of his son Lachlan, who runs the Fox News empire. What’s behind Nevada commissioner Edmund J. Gorman Jr.’s decision to block the move? Kim Masters and Matt Belloni investigate.

Plus, Masters talks to documentarian Nic Stacey about his Netflix film, Buy Now! The Shopping Conspiracy. The London-based filmmaker tells us how he managed to pull together an impressive roster of whistleblowers from top companies such as Amazon, Adidas, and Apple. He also says that working with Netflix’s U.K. team was a breeze, despite the documentary’s focus on tech giants. Stacey also explains why he chose to use an AI narrator named “Sasha” to guide viewers through the film.

Trump appoints Gail Slater to head DOJ antitrust division; Errol Morris & Jacob Soboroff on their film ‘Separated’ Dec 06, 2024

Show notes

Gail Slater is Donald Trump’s pick to head the Justice Department's antitrust division. As she gears up to oversee cases against major tech companies like Google and Apple, how will the veteran antitrust lawyer view future mergers in Hollywood? Kim Masters and Matt Belloni dive in.

Plus, Masters speaks to journalist Jacob Soboroff and documentarian Errol Morris about their film Separated, a sobering look at the Trump Administration’s 2017 child separation policy. They have a lot to say about those who were complicit in tearing thousands of children away from their families. Plus, Soboroff weighs in on Comcast’s refusal to release the film before the election.

Thanksgiving Weekend box office preview; Grammy-winning songwriter Evan Bogart on the state of the music industry Nov 29, 2024

Show notes

Kim Masters and Matt Belloni take a look at the forthcoming Thanksgiving weekend box office projections and examine the unauthorized use of screenplays to fuel AI learning models.

Plus, Eric Deggans sits down with Grammy-winning songwriter Evan Bogart to discuss the state of the music industry — which Bogart assures us is “not all bad.” Bogart goes on to detail how independent artists are benefiting from major label consolidations and reorgs. Plus, he tells us the story of how he discovered Eminem while as a 19 year-old Interscope Records employee.

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