The Town with Matthew Belloni

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The Future Blockbusters Draft, Part 2 Jul 28, 2026

Show notes

Matt and Bloomberg’s Lucas Shaw finish The Town’s first Future Blockbusters Draft by filling the remaining five slots on their teams (01:12).

Host: Matt Belloni

Guest: Lucas Shaw

Producers: Craig Horlbeck, Jessie Lopez, and Stefano Sanchez

Theme Song: Devon Renaldo

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The Future Blockbusters Draft: The Directors, Actors, and IP That Will Define the Next Decade Jul 27, 2026

Show notes

Matt and Bloomberg’s Lucas Shaw put on their studio chief hats and conduct the first Future Blockbusters Draft. In Part 1, they draft five elements (director, actor, or IP) they believe will define the box office for the next 10 years (00:34). Matt finishes the show with a prediction about the Paramount–Warner Bros. merger (24:18).

Host: Matt Belloni

Guest: Lucas Shaw

Producers: Craig Horlbeck, Jessie Lopez, and Stefano Sanchez

Theme Song: Devon Renaldo

This episode is brought to you by AMC+. Start your free trial today at join.amcplus.com

This episode is brought to you by Accenture. https://Accenture.com/Spotify

Tickets available at americancinematheque.com

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The Surprising Winners of the AI-Enabled Entertainment Economy Jul 24, 2026

Show notes

Matt is joined by Sean Diffley, head of media and entertainment as well as cable and telecom research at Morgan Stanley to discuss a new system for stock picking called the MS Media Matrix, which ranks publicly traded entertainment companies based on audience and engagement, their interactivity, urgency of the content, pricing power, IP, and AI positioning, and then compares these strengths and weaknesses to the companies’ relative share price. They discuss the importance of ownership within these companies, AI's role in content creation and the future of leisure time, and AI's impact on content consumption (02:56). Matt finishes the show with a prediction on what will be the second weekend drop of ‘The Odyssey’ (30:33).

Host: Matt Belloni

Guest: Sean Diffley

Producers: Craig Horlbeck, Jessie Lopez, and Stefano Sanchez

Theme Song: Devon Renaldo

This episode is brought to you by AMC+. Start your free trial today at join.amcplus.com

This episode is brought to you by Accenture. https://Accenture.com/Spotify

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Is Netflix Hurting YouTube by Poaching Talent? Jul 21, 2026

Show notes

Matt is joined by Bloomberg’s Lucas Shaw to debate whether Netflix or YouTube is winning the battle to dominate Hollywood. They move through the pros and cons of each platform, the new rules of engagement, whether podcasts are working on Netflix, whether YouTube should go after premium content, and more (02:26). Matt finishes the show with a prediction about the future of WarnerMount after a judge ruled for a temporary restraining order on the deal (27:50).

Host: Matt Belloni

Guest: Lucas Shaw

Producers: Craig Horlbeck, Jessie Lopez, and Stefano Sanchez

Theme Song: Devon Renaldo

This episode is brought to you by AMC+. Start your free trial today at join.amcplus.com

This episode is brought to you by Accenture. https://Accenture.com/Spotify

Tickets available at americancinematheque.com

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Paramount's Strategy to Beat California, With Its Top Lawyer Jul 20, 2026

Show notes

Matt is joined by Makan Delrahim, chief legal officer at Paramount, who argues his case in favor of Paramount's acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery. He explains what they are willing to concede, why the state's case should fail, why this deal improves competition, whether Paramount would leave California, and the multiple ways this case could play out (02:42).

Host: Matt Belloni

Guest: Makan Delrahim

Producers: Craig Horlbeck, Jessie Lopez, and Stefano Sanchez

Theme Song: Devon Renaldo

This episode is brought to you by AMC+. Start your free trial today at join.amcplus.com

This episode is brought to you by Accenture. https://Accenture.com/Spotify

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The Numbers That Have Netflix Investors Spooked Jul 17, 2026

Show notes

(00:00) Matt is joined by Guggenheim Senior Managing Director Michael Morris to discuss Netflix’s latest data dump and quarterly earnings report and assess why the market has started to turn on the streamer. They dig into why Netflix decided to reduce their engagement report release from biannually to annually, why the stock price has dropped nearly 50 percent since October, the nagging question of engagement, the perception that growth is slowing, and if M&A is necessary to reaccelerate growth, (02:29). Matt finishes the show with a World Cup final ratings prediction (28:25).

Host: Matt Belloni

Guest: Michael Morris

Producers: Craig Horlbeck, Jessie Lopez, and Stefano Sanchez

Theme Song: Devon Renaldo

This episode is brought to you by AMC+. Start your free trial today at join.amcplus.com

The Ringer is committed to responsible trading. Please visit https://fanduel.com/predicts to learn more about the resources and helpline.

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The Data Scientists Quietly Powering Hollywood’s Greenlight Machine Jul 17, 2026

Show notes

Matt is joined by professor Violaine Roussel, a professor of sociology at Paris 8 University, to discuss her new book 'Data Driven Hollywood: The New Data Professionals in the Age of Streaming,' which polls 75 data scientists employed at streamers and studios to explain how modern studios use data to inform what they greenlight, what the data departments look like inside these streamers, how Netflix uses things like “taste clusters,” and how creative choices have been reinvented over the last 15 years (02:43). Matt finishes the show with an opening weekend box office prediction for Christopher Nolan’s new film ‘ The Odyssey’ (29:23).

Host: Matt Belloni

Guest: Violaine Roussel

Producers: Craig Horlbeck, Jessie Lopez, and Stefano Sanchez

Theme Song: Devon Renaldo

This episode is brought to you by AMC+. Start your free trial today at join.amcplus.com

This episode is brought to you by Accenture. https://Accenture.com/Spotify

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The Case Against WarnerMount, with CA Attorney General Rob Bonta Jul 14, 2026

Show notes

Matt and Bloomberg’s Lucas Shaw are joined by California Attorney General Rob Bonta to discuss California’s new lawsuit to block Paramount Skydance's acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery. They talk about what the lawsuit highlights and avoids, Paramount’s response, and the impact the acquisition would have on Hollywood (02:51). Matt finishes the show with a prediction about the future of Disney live-action remakes after a weak opening weekend for 'Moana' (35:03).

Host: Matt Belloni

Guest: Lucas Shaw, Rob Bonta

Producers: Craig Horlbeck, Jessie Lopez, and Stefano Sanchez

Theme Song: Devon Renaldo

This episode is brought to you by AMC+. Start your free trial today at join.amcplus.com

This episode is brought to you by Accenture. https://Accenture.com/Spotify

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Is California's $750 Million Bet on Hollywood Working? Jul 11, 2026

Show notes

Matt is joined by Colleen Bell, the director of the California Film Commission, to check in on the state of film and TV production in California following the cap increase to $750M about a year ago. They discuss the increase in shoot days in California, how the new program works, whether a federal credit is coming, whether the new Los Angeles mayor and California governor will affect this program, why Netflix decided to build a headquarters in New Jersey, and how to build on the current momentum (03:03). Matt finishes the show with an opening weekend box office prediction for ‘Moana’ (27:33).
Host: Matt Belloni
Guest: Colleen Bell
Producers: Craig Horlbeck, Jessie Lopez, and Matt Pevic
Theme Song: Devon Renaldo
This episode is brought to you by AMC+. Start your free trial today at http://join.amcplus.com
This episode is brought to you by Accenture. https://Accenture.com/Spotify

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Inside the Internet IP Gold Rush Sweeping Hollywood Jul 09, 2026

Show notes

Matt is joined by producer Scott Glassgold to discuss internet IP and the short-story boom that has taken over Hollywood after major successes in ‘Backrooms’ and ‘Obsession’, whether this is a micro or macro trend, how these internet stories are developed for the big screen, and whether studios have learned the right lessons from this year (02:22). Matt finishes the show with a prediction for the 2026 Emmys (29:18).
Host: Matt Belloni
Guest: Scott Glassgold
Producers: Craig Horlbeck, Jessie Lopez, and Matt Pevic
Theme Song: Devon Renaldo
This episode is brought to you by AMC+. Start your free trial today at http://join.amcplus.com

This episode is brought to you by Accenture. https://Accenture.com/Spotify

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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