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The Ringer

The Town with Matthew Belloni

Matt is joined by Bloomberg’s Lucas Shaw to recap the year in streaming and nominate their clear winners and losers as well as some under-the-radar services that deserve more love or criticism (01:59). Matt finishes the show by recapping the Best Picture nominations for the 2025 Golden Globes and predicting who he thinks will take home the top award for Best Motion Picture–Drama and Best Motion Picture–Musical or Comedy (26:16).

For a 20 percent discount on Matt’s Hollywood insider newsletter, ‘What I’m Hearing ...,’ click here.
Email us your thoughts! thetown@spotify.com

Host: Matt Belloni
Guest: Lucas Shaw

Producers: Craig Horlbeck and Jessie Lopez
Theme Song: Devon Renaldo
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Winners and Losers of 2024 in Streaming

Matt is joined by the Entertainment Strategy Guy, a former streaming exec, to sort through the mirky waters of streaming data and find out which streaming tv shows were actually hits, which were major flops, which were underrated successes, and which were bigger bombs than anyone thought (02:57) Matt finishes the show with an opening weekend box office prediction for ‘Kraven the Hunter’ (29:10).

For a 20 percent discount on Matt’s Hollywood insider newsletter, ‘What I’m Hearing ...,’ click here.
Email us your thoughts! thetown@spotify.com

Host: Matt Belloni
Guest: Entertainment Strategy Guy

Producers: Craig Horlbeck and Jessie Lopez
Theme Song: Devon Renaldo
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Which Streaming Shows Hit and Bombed in 2024?

Matt is joined by the Entertainment Strategy Guy to help find out which TV shows were the most important to their streaming service in 2024 before revealing which movies actually performed well on streaming and which largely disappointed. He runs through the biggest movie releases of the year on streaming and reveals just how successful or disappointing they were (01:26). Matt and Craig finish the show by tasting the famous Tom Cruise coconut bundt cake (26:56).

For a 20 percent discount on Matt’s Hollywood insider newsletter, ‘What I’m Hearing ...,’ click here.
Email us your thoughts! thetown@spotify.com

Host: Matt Belloni
Guest: Entertainment Strategy Guy

Producers: Craig Horlbeck and Jessie Lopez
Theme Song: Devon Renaldo
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Which Movies Actually Popped (and Flopped) on Streaming in 2024?

Matt is joined by Bloomberg’s Lucas Shaw to discuss why Warner Bros. Discovery is planning to separate its TV networks unit from movies and streaming and what this could signal for the company moving forward. Later they discuss ABC News’ decision to settle Donald Trump’s defamation lawsuit for $15 million and whether Disney will operate any differently under the Trump administration (02:55). Matt finishes the show with a prediction about the sports bundle Venu (26:24).

For a 20 percent discount on Matt’s Hollywood insider newsletter, ‘What I’m Hearing ...,’ click here.
Email us your thoughts! thetown@spotify.com

Host: Matt Belloni
Guest: Lucas Shaw

Producers: Craig Horlbeck and Jessie Lopez
Theme Song: Devon Renaldo
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Fate of Warner Bros in 2025, and Iger’s Trump Capitulation

Matt is joined by Mark Roesler, founder and chairman of CMG Worldwide, to discuss how AI has added a new twist to how the rights of dead famous people are being exploited. They discuss how incredibly valuable these rights are and how new technology is changing the way name, image, and likeness are being enabled to resurrect dead stars. They highlight a few recent examples, including James Earl Jones in the new ‘Mufasa: The Lion King’ film, as well as Frank Sinatra and Sammy Davis Jr. in a commercial for a new brand of gin. Mark explains how these deceased celebrities are protected in the age of AI and who is making the decision to exploit these rights (02:33). Matt finishes the show with an opening weekend box office prediction for ‘Mufasa: The Lion King’ and ‘Sonic the Hedgehog 3’ (26:20).

For a 20 percent discount on Matt’s Hollywood insider newsletter, ‘What I’m Hearing ...,’ click here.
Email us your thoughts! thetown@spotify.com

Host: Matt Belloni
Guest: Mark Roesler

Producers: Craig Horlbeck and Jessie Lopez
Theme Song: Devon Renaldo
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Making Millions on Dead Celebrities in the AI Age

Matt is joined by Michael O’Leary, CEO of the National Association of Theatre Owners (NATO) to discuss their pledge to spend $2.2 billion to modernize and upgrade theaters, what that actually means, and what these new “entertainment centers” will actually look like. They also talk about the biggest successes of the year in moviegoing, how theaters can improve for the modern audience, how theaters and studios are getting along these days, and more (03:13). Matt finishes the show with a prediction on the upcoming Netflix film ‘Electric State,’ starring Millie Bobby Brown and Chris Pratt (29:29).

For a 20 percent discount on Matt’s Hollywood insider newsletter, ‘What I’m Hearing ...,’ click here.
Email us your thoughts! thetown@spotify.com

Host: Matt Belloni
Guest: Michael O’Leary

Producers: Craig Horlbeck and Jessie Lopez
Theme Song: Devon Renaldo
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Multi-Billion-Dollar Plan to Improve Going to the Movies

Matt is joined by Bloomberg’s Lucas Shaw to run through a slew of topics tied to a recent survey conducted by Shaw that polls hundreds of Hollywood insiders on some of the hottest questions around town. They also touch on the latest news in the complicated 'It Ends With Us' feud (02:02). Matt finishes the show with a ratings prediction about Netflix's NFL Christmas debut (25:47).

For a 20 percent discount on Matt’s Hollywood insider newsletter, ‘What I’m Hearing ...,’ click here.
Email us your thoughts! thetown@spotify.com

Host: Matt Belloni
Guest: Lucas Shaw

Producers: Craig Horlbeck and Jessie Lopez
Theme Song: Devon Renaldo
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A Holiday Grab Bag: Blake Vs. Baldoni, NFL on Netflix, Disney’s Next CEO, and UFC's Next Home

Matt is joined by producer Peter Jaysen to discuss his latest film, ‘A Complete Unknown,’ and how he managed to get a movie about Bob Dylan made. He details how he secured the rights to Dylan’s musical archive and life, how they chose Timothée Chalamet, how much Dylan was involved, and secrets to finding and developing top-tier IP (02:45). Matt finishes the show with a Christmas Day box office prediction for ‘A Complete Unknown’ and ‘Nosferatu’ (29:49).

For a 20 percent discount on Matt’s Hollywood insider newsletter, ‘What I’m Hearing ...,’ click here.
Email us your thoughts! thetown@spotify.com

Host: Matt Belloni
Guest: Peter Jaysen

Producers: Craig Horlbeck and Jessie Lopez
Theme Song: Devon Renaldo
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Turning Music Rights Into a Bob Dylan Biopic

It’s podcasting’s most exclusive event of the year: the third annual Townie Awards! Join Matt and Bloomberg’s Lucas Shaw as they go through the biggest moves, deals, and fails from 2024, while also awarding the Most Annoying Media Narrative, Sneaky Successes, Publicist Fails, Larry David Spite Store of the Year, and much more in Part 1 of this year's Townies.

For a 20 percent discount on Matt’s Hollywood insider newsletter, ‘What I’m Hearing ...,’ click here.
Email us your thoughts! thetown@spotify.com

Host: Matt Belloni
Guest: Lucas Shaw

Producers: Craig Horlbeck and Jessie Lopez
Theme Song: Devon Renaldo
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Townies: Hollywood’s Best and Worst of 2024

In Part 2 of the exclusive Townie Awards, Matt and Bloomberg’s Lucas Shaw decide who won the year, including executives and talent, and give out some additional awards, including: Biggest Flex; Executive Fail of the Year; Movie Marketing Miss of the Year; Suck It Haters, I Was Right; and so much more.

For a 20 percent discount on Matt’s Hollywood insider newsletter, ‘What I’m Hearing ...,’ click here.
Email us your thoughts! thetown@spotify.com

Host: Matt Belloni
Guest: Lucas Shaw

Producers: Craig Horlbeck and Jessie Lopez
Theme Song: Devon Renaldo
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Townies, Part 2: Who Won the Year in Hollywood?

Matt is joined by Van Lathan to discuss the complicated and nuanced relationship between TMZ and Hollywood. As a former TMZ employee, Van walks us through how the sausage is made at TMZ and outlines its aggressive reporting style, how it pays its sources, and how, despite its often negative perception, the mainstream media has become more like TMZ, not the other way around.

For a 20 percent discount on Matt’s Hollywood insider newsletter, ‘What I’m Hearing ...,’ click here.
Email us your thoughts! thetown@spotify.com

Host: Matt Belloni
Guest: Van Lathan

Producers: Craig Horlbeck and Jessie Lopez
Theme Song: Devon Renaldo
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Inside TMZ’s Cozy Relationship With Hollywood

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