Podcast · 189 episodes
The Town with Matthew Belloni, page 2
by The Ringer · English
Puck founding partner Matthew Belloni takes you inside Hollywood, using exclusive reporting and insight to explain the backstories on everything from Marvel movies to streaming wars. Multiple times each week, Matt is joined by major executives, dealmakers, and journalists, to discuss what is getting made and why, who is winning and losing, and what people in show business are actually talking about.
All episodes, page 2
The Future Blockbusters Draft, Part 2Part 2 of The Ringer/Puck “The Future Blockbuster Draft,” where Matt Belony and returning guest Lucas Shaw each select 10 directors, actors, and IPs they think will drive box office success over the…28 Jul 2026 · 32 min · 18 chapters
The Future Blockbusters Draft: The Directors, Actors, and IP That Will Define the Next DecadeThe Town (from The Ringer/Puck) discusses whether top filmmakers are becoming “new IP” and then runs a “future blockbuster draft” for the next 10 years (movies only).27 Jul 2026 · 34 min · 11 chapters
The Surprising Winners of the AI-Enabled Entertainment EconomyThe episode argues that AI will add 30–60 minutes of daily leisure time and intensify the “attention economy,” so entertainment companies that maximize urgency and interactivity will profit.24 Jul 2026 · 37 min · 11 chapters
Is Netflix Hurting YouTube by Poaching Talent?Netflix is signing top YouTube creators (often cross-posting rather than exclusivity) to boost engagement, raising the question of whether this “poaching” threatens YouTube’s dominance.21 Jul 2026 · 36 min · 11 chapters
Paramount's Strategy to Beat California, With Its Top LawyerThe episode covers Paramount’s antitrust defense in federal court (Oakland) over its $110B takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery.20 Jul 2026 · 45 min · 20 chapters
The Numbers That Have Netflix Investors SpookedNetflix’s Q2 earnings and engagement metrics have investors worried about slowing growth, softer forward projections, and reduced transparency (engagement report only once a year).17 Jul 2026 · 34 min · 15 chapters
The Data Scientists Quietly Powering Hollywood’s Greenlight MachineHow data scientists and algorithmic analytics shape streamer/ studio decisions on what to greenlight, renew, price, and market—plus how “taste clusters” and external/internal data create feedback…17 Jul 2026 · 37 min · 11 chapters
The Case Against WarnerMount, with CA Attorney General Rob BontaCalifornia AG Rob Bonta defends a 12-state antitrust lawsuit to block the $110B Paramount Skydance–Warner Bros.14 Jul 2026 · 41 min · 14 chapters
Is California's $750 Million Bet on Hollywood Working?The episode examines whether California’s expanded film/TV production incentives (raised to a $750 million annual cap under “4.0”) are actually working, and what still needs fixing.11 Jul 2026 · 34 min · 23 chapters
Inside the Internet IP Gold Rush Sweeping HollywoodHollywood’s “IP gold rush” for internet-originated material—how viral YouTube/Reddit shorts and memes are being packaged into studio movies and TV, and what studios actually want.9 Jul 2026 · 37 min · 13 chapters
The Biggest Winners and Losers of 2026 So FarMid-year 2026 Hollywood “winners and losers” report, plus a discussion of industry recovery vs ongoing job losses, and specific box-office/streaming performance.7 Jul 2026 · 44 min · 16 chapters
Why Attendance Tells a Better Story Than Box OfficeThe episode argues that movie attendance (admissions/tickets sold) tells a better story than box office revenue, because box office is heavily influenced by inflation, premium formats, and pricing.2 Jul 2026 · 36 min · 14 chapters
Will the Comcast-NBCU Split Lead to Another Huge Hollywood Deal?Comcast’s plan to split NBCUniversal into a separate, publicly traded company—creating one connectivity-focused Comcast unit and one media unit (NBC, Peacock, Sky, Universal Studios/theme parks).29 Jun 2026 · 33 min · 14 chapters
How Larry Ellison’s Trump Bromance Is Helping WarnerMountThe Town episode “How Larry Ellison’s Trump Bromance Is Helping WarnerMount” focuses on the Paramount–Warner Bros.26 Jun 2026 · 35 min · 10 chapters
Amazon Won’t Release Its Sam Altman Movie. Will Anyone?Amazon MGM Studios shelved the already-shot movie Artificial, about OpenAI and Sam Altman, after casting and a year of development; the episode explores why studios are backing away from…22 Jun 2026 · 33 min · 13 chapters
The Secret Industry That Makes Movies Go ViralHow “clipping” and “narrative campaigns” manufacture the appearance of online buzz for movies/TV, using dummy accounts and coordinated posting that can evade FTC ad-disclosure rules.19 Jun 2026 · 36 min · 13 chapters
Have Platforms Unseated Content as King in Hollywood?Whether “content is king” has been replaced by “distribution/platform is king,” focusing on how streaming platforms and device ecosystems control audiences via data, placement, and ad targeting.17 Jun 2026 · 33 min · 13 chapters
Fox Is Buying Roku for $22B. Is It Now a Streaming Power Player?The episode discusses Fox Corp’s $22B acquisition of Roku and whether it makes Fox a true streaming “power player.” Guests: Lucas Shaw (Bloomberg) joins host Matt Bellany (The Ringer/Puck).16 Jun 2026 · 36 min · 13 chapters
Bonus Episode! Matt Risks His Life Eating Wings With Sean Evans of ‘Hot Ones.’Sean Evans (host of Hot Ones) sits in with Matt on a shortened, 5-wing “Hot Ones” style bonus episode, discussing how the show works, what makes guests hard/easy to interview, and his career…14 Jun 2026 · 49 min · 20 chapters
The ‘Obsession’ Windfall and How Indie Hits Pay OutHow revenue “waterfalls” work for independently financed indie films, using the horror thriller Obsession as the case study—specifically who gets paid as money flows from theaters, VOD, streaming,…12 Jun 2026 · 41 min · 15 chapters
The Gen Z Box Office Boom and What They Think of Spielberg, Marvel, and Star WarsGen Z’s impact on the summer box office and what they think about legacy franchises and filmmakers (Spielberg, Marvel, Star Wars), using Screen Engine’s survey/test-screening framework.11 Jun 2026 · 28 min · 13 chapters
Is the ‘60 Minutes’ Blowup a Threat to Ellison’s Empire?The episode discusses whether David Ellison’s CBS News shakeup (especially 60 Minutes) signals a broader threat to his “media empire,” and how it could affect the Paramount-Warner merger and…9 Jun 2026 · 36 min · 12 chapters
'Backrooms’ Director Kane Parsons on Bursting into Hollywood, Internet Fandom, and Old IPKane Parsons, director of Backrooms, discusses how a 4chan/YouTube-born internet hit became a $10M A24 Hollywood blockbuster, and what it means for Hollywood’s relationship with digital-native…4 Jun 2026 · 37 min · 22 chapters
Is This Hollywood’s First Practical Solution to Control AI?Hollywood’s response to AI image/voice exploitation; RSL Media’s “consent layer” (RSL Human Consent Standard) to let actors and rights holders opt in/out of AI training and generation, with a…3 Jun 2026 · 35 min · 12 chapters