The Town with Matthew Belloni

Latest Episodes:

Amber Heard Testifies: How Did It Go? May 18, 2022

Show notes

Matt is joined by Puck national correspondent Eriq Gardner to react to the conclusion of Amber Heard’s testimony in the Johnny Depp defamation trial.

Host: Matt Belloni

Guest: Eriq Gardner

Producer: Craig Horlbeck

Theme Song: Devon Renaldo

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You May Not Be Watching, but Broadcast TV Still Makes Billions May 17, 2022

Show notes

This week, Matt is in New York for the network upfronts, a gathering of the major players in television to present their programming plans for the upcoming TV season to the advertising community. Matt is joined by Bloomberg’s Lucas Shaw to discuss whether advertisers will continue to pay top dollar to these major broadcast networks in a media landscape that is shifting to digital.

Host: Matt Belloni

Guest: Lucas Shaw

Producer: Craig Horlbeck

Theme Song: Devon Renaldo

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Disney vs. Netflix: The Deathmatch of Streaming May 12, 2022

Show notes

When it comes to streaming, is Disney the new Netflix? Matt is joined by analyst Michael Nathanson to discuss Disney’s recently released quarterly earnings report, its growing number of subscribers, and whether the cost to potentially beat out Netflix in the streaming wars has been worth it.

Host: Matt Belloni

Guest: Michael Nathanson

Producer: Devon Manze

Theme Song: Devon Renaldo

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Does Marvel Have a Quality Problem? May 11, 2022

Show notes

Are the quality of Marvel movies and television shows in decline? Matt is joined by The Ringer’s Sean Fennessey to discuss Marvel's recent dip in quality, the future of its content, and if the biggest issues are creative, financial, or both.

Host: Matt Belloni

Guest: Sean Fennessey

Producer: Craig Horlbeck

Theme Song: Devon Renaldo

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The 2022 Streaming Service Draft May 09, 2022

Show notes

Matt and Bloomberg’s Lucas Shaw conduct the first streaming service draft! They draft their way through each of the top streaming services (Netflix, HBO Max, Disney+, Apple TV+, Amazon, Paramount+, Peacock, Hulu), and pitch why they believe their roster will succeed the most over the next 10 years.

Host: Matt Belloni

Guest: Lucas Shaw

Producer: Craig Horlbeck

Theme song: Devon Renaldo

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A Scientology Star in the Spotlight May 05, 2022

Show notes

Matt is joined by Seth Abramovitch of The Hollywood Reporter to discuss the recent New Yorker profile on Elisabeth Moss, including its reference to Seth’s article from a few years back and Moss’s involvement with Scientology.

Host: Matt Belloni

Guest: Seth Abramovitch

Producer: Craig Horlbeck

Theme Song: Devon Renaldo

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Did Johnny Depp Really Lose ‘Pirates’ Because of Amber’s Op-Ed? May 04, 2022

Show notes

Matt is joined by divorce attorney Brett Ward to discuss whether Johnny Depp has a case that he lost tens of millions of dollars of potential career earnings because of Amber Heard’s op-ed in The Washington Post.

Host: Matt Belloni

Guest: Brett Ward

Producer: Craig Horlbeck

Theme Song: Devon Renaldo

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Have We Finally Reached the End of Peak TV? May 02, 2022

Show notes

Matt is joined by Bloomberg’s Lucas Shaw to talk about the beginning of the end for peak TV. With 559 original scripted shows on television and streaming, will the overall volume of content finally decrease? They discuss oversaturation, the problem with doom-scrolling, and the conundrum of curation on streaming platforms.

Host: Matt Belloni

Guest: Lucas Shaw

Producer: Craig Horlbeck

Theme Song: Devon Renaldo

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Does Jerry West Have a Case Against HBO’s ‘Winning Time’? Apr 28, 2022

Show notes

Matt is joined by Puck News contributor Eriq Gardner to discuss former Lakers star Jerry West’s demand of a retraction over HBO’s ‘Winning Time’. They also discuss Olivia Wilde getting served legal documents by Jason Sudekis in Las Vegas.

Host: Matt Belloni

Guest: Eriq Gardner

Producer: Craig Horlbeck

Theme Song: Devon Renaldo

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The Legal Loophole That Could Strip Marvel of Its Superheroes Apr 27, 2022

Show notes

Matt is joined by lawyer Aaron Moss to discuss a legal loophole that is suddenly a big deal to legacy film and TV studios called “termination rights,” a quirk of copyright law that allows certain creators to recapture their work. If you’re a studio like Marvel, that loophole could lead to a large headache.

Host: Matt Belloni

Guest: Aaron Moss

Producer: Craig Horlbeck

Theme Song: Devon Renaldo

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