The Town with Matthew Belloni

Latest Episodes:

Predicting the Opening Weekend for ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’ Nov 09, 2022

Show notes

Matt is joined by Comscore senior media analyst Paul Dergarabedian to discuss the pseudoscience of movie tracking and how box office projections are made before anyone has seen a movie. They discuss the tracking around movies like 'Black Panther: Wakanda Forever' and 'Avatar: The Way of Water.'

Host: Matt Belloni

Guest: Paul Dergarabedian

Producer: Craig Horlbeck

Theme Song: Devon Renaldo

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What a Wall Street Meltdown Means for the Consumer Nov 07, 2022

Show notes

Matt is joined by Bloomberg’s Lucas Shaw to discuss the price increases across multiple streaming platforms, the addition of ad-supported tiers, waning stock prices, and how layoffs and budget cuts in media might affect what you see on screen.

Email us your questions, thoughts, and ideas at thetown@spotify.com

Host: Matt Belloni

Guest: Lucas Shaw

Producer: Craig Horlbeck

Theme Song: Devon Renaldo

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Netflix vs. HBO: The TV Rivalry of the Century Nov 03, 2022

Show notes

Since its launch nearly 50 years ago, HBO has revolutionized and disrupted the television ecosystem, but for the past 15 years it has been challenged by a new disruptor, Netflix. Matt is joined by Felix Gillette from Bloomberg News and John Koblin from The New York Times to discuss their new book, ‘It's Not TV: The Spectacular Rise, Revolution and Future of HBO,’ and the ongoing battle between Netflix and HBO for the future of television.

Email us your questions, comments, or ideas at thetown@spotify.com

Host: Matt Belloni

Guest: Felix Gillette and John Koblin

Producer: Craig Horlbeck

Theme Song: Devon Renaldo

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Why Are Movies Longer Than Ever? Nov 02, 2022

Show notes

In 2010, the 10 movies nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars ran on average 1:52. By 2019, that average bloated to 2:20. And it’s not just the prestige movies. In 2021, the top 10 performers at the box office averaged 2:11. Matt is joined by film producer David Friendly to break down this issue, why it’s happening, and whether this is the new normal.

Host: Matt Belloni

Guest: David Friendly

Producer: Craig Horlbeck

Theme Song: Devon Renaldo

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TikTok Killed the Pop Star Oct 31, 2022

Show notes

Taylor Swift’s new album is taking the pop music world by storm—what’s new? But each year fewer and fewer new pop stars are cracking the top 10 according to Billboard. Matt is joined by Bloomberg’s Lucas Shaw to discuss the fracturing of the pop music landscape, TikTok’s influence of music discovery, the role of the music label, and the dilution of monoculture in music.

Email us your questions, comments, or ideas at thetown@spotify.com

Host: Matt Belloni

Guest: Lucas Shaw

Producer: Craig Horlbeck

Theme Song: Devon Renaldo

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Ad-Supported Television Was the Past, and It Might Be the Future Oct 27, 2022

Show notes

Matt is joined by president and CEO of streaming at Paramount Global and cofounder of Pluto TV Tom Ryan to talk about the free, ad-supported streaming television market. They discuss people’s tolerance for ads these days, the growing competition in the ad-supported streaming space, whether Pluto will merge into Paramount+, how the ad model changes the content offering, and where the world of SVOD is headed in the next 5-10 years.

Email us your questions, thoughts, and ideas at thetown@spotify.com

Host: Matt Belloni

Guest: Tom Ryan

Producer: Craig Horlbeck

Theme Song: Devon Renaldo

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Can James Gunn Deliver as New Head of the DC Universe? Oct 26, 2022

Show notes

Matt is joined by The Hollywood Reporter’s Boris Kit to discuss Warner Bros. naming director James Gunn and Peter Safran as the new leaders of the DC cinematic universe.

Email us questions, comments, and ideas to thetown@spotify.com

Host: Matt Belloni

Guest: Boris Kit

Producer: Craig Horlbeck

Theme Song: Devon Renaldo

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The Riskiest Hollywood Bets for the Rest of 2022 Oct 24, 2022

Show notes

Matt is joined by Bloomberg’s Lucas Shaw to preview the biggest bets in media and entertainment coming in the remainder of 2022 and rank which project carries the most risk to each company.

Email us your questions, thoughts, and ideas at thetown@spotify.com.

Host: Matt Belloni

Guest: Lucas Shaw

Producer: Craig Horlbeck

Theme Song: Devon Renaldo

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Netflix Is Back, Baby! Oct 19, 2022

Show notes

Matt is joined by LightShed partner Rich Greenfield to discuss Netflix’s Q3 earnings report, in which the company announced it added 2.4 million net subscribers, which is more than was forecasted. With the stock on the rise, Matt and Rich discuss whether this is the beginning of Netflix’s comeback, how subscriber growth vs. revenue is interpreted on Wall Street, and whether the incoming ad tier and password crackdown will help or hurt the streamer.

Email us your questions, thoughts, or ideas at thetown@spotify.com.

Host: Matt Belloni

Guest: Rich Greenfield

Producer: Craig Horlbeck

Theme Song: Devon Renaldo

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The Looming NBA Rights Bonanza Oct 18, 2022

Show notes

Matt is joined by chief media analyst at Variety Intelligence Platform Andrew Wallenstein to discuss the upcoming expiration of Disney and WarnerMedia’s NBA media rights deal. They predict whether Disney-Warner can hold on to their NBA rights or whether the deep pockets of big tech and streaming will outbid the rest of the market. They also discuss the future of the regional sports network, and what ratings say about current interest in the NBA as a national product.

Email us your questions, thoughts, or ideas at thetown@spotify.com

Host: Matt Belloni

Guest: Andrew Wallenstein

Producer: Craig Horlbeck

Theme Song: Devon Renaldo

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