Matt is joined by Bloomberg’s Lucas Shaw to parse Netflix’s latest data dump and look at what is and is not working for the streamer. Big-budget live-action movies, sitcoms, reality shows, crime documentaries, foreign films and TV all contribute to Netflix’s enormous slate of content, but which of them are working the most? Is Netflix in need of a Taylor Sheridan-like universe? Do they need $200M live-action movies? How much do they need live events like the Jake Paul-Mike Tyson fight? Should th...
Mar 12, 2025•33 min
Matt is joined by Pouya Shahbazian to discuss his company, Staircase Studios AI, a film, television, and gaming studio centered on an AI workflow that he claims revolutionizes the process of studio filmmaking. He explains how they plan to deliver “near-major-studio” levels of quality at budgets under $500,000, what their “talent-driven approach” actually looks like, and why this advancement in moviemaking technology should be embraced (02:38). Matt finishes the show with a prediction about the f...
Mar 10, 2025•36 min
Matt is joined by Nielsen’s Brian Fuhrer to explain the mysterious world of ratings and how they actually work in 2025. They get into how Nielsen literally tracks viewing habits, how that has changed over the years, and how they now track out-of-home viewing. Then, they look at a surprising metric about the Oscars ratings, discuss how streaming is improving ratings among younger demos, and which shows are the most influential in terms of attracting a younger audience (03:00). Matt finishes the s...
Mar 07, 2025•32 min
Matt is joined by Hernan Lopez, the founder of Owl & Co and Wondery, to discuss how the narrative is rapidly shifting in the direct-to-consumer landscape now that streaming is, mostly, profitable! Hernan explains why YouTube dwarfs Netflix in consumption but Netflix dwarfs YouTube in revenue, why people are watching YouTube on TV screens more than ever, and what this means for the streaming juggernauts moving forward (02:43). Matt finishes the show with a lightning round of predictions about nex...
Mar 05, 2025•33 min
Matt is joined by Bloomberg’s Lucas Shaw to react to last night's Academy Awards, what it was like inside the building, and list their under-the-radar winners and losers from Hollywood's biggest night (02:09). Then, Matt and Lucas are joined by NEON CEO Tom Quinn to discuss their big night winning five Academy Awards, including Best Picture, for the film ‘Anora’ (20:54). Tom talks about how they campaign their movies on such a small budget, how much a win impacts the film economically, and why i...
Mar 04, 2025•41 min
Matt is joined by WME senior partner Robert Newman to talk about how much an Academy Award win still matters. Robert represents several accomplished auteur filmmakers and can speak to the impact an Oscar win could have on an up-and-coming director, how it influences their next project, and whether that cache has dwindled. Later he shares a few opinions on how to improve the Academy Awards (02:31). Matt finishes the show with a ratings prediction for the 97th Academy Awards (30:09). For a 20 perc...
Feb 28, 2025•39 min
Matt is joined by Mosaic talent manager and Oscar enthusiast Michael Lasker to parse through the award season chatter and find a gambling edge on the Academy Awards. Matt and Michael discuss the wide-open races in the top categories—including Best Picture—as well as how many Oscars ‘Emilia Perez’ might win following Karla Sofía Gascón’s Twitter controversy, Adrien Brody vs. Timothée Chalamet, and the potential upset chances for Fernanda Torres and Jeremy Strong (02:32). For a 20 percent discount...
Feb 27, 2025•38 min
Matt is joined by Bloomberg’s Lucas Shaw to react to the shocking announcement that Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson—the controllers of the James Bond brand—have sold their creative control to Amazon. They discuss why this move was necessary for Amazon, why Barbara and Michael did this deal now, and how this will affect the James Bond franchise moving forward (02:53). Matt and Lucas finish the show by announcing the winner of the 2024 Box Office Draft (26:10). For a 20 percent discount on ...
Feb 24, 2025•33 min
Matt is joined by Chris Rice, cofounder and co-CEO of Fifth Season, and producer of Apple+’s ‘Severance,' to discuss what happens when a TV show goes over budget and how to manage, who ends up footing the bill, reasons for overages, setting the budget for seasons of TV, and the current state of financing and producing independent television (02:55). Matt finishes the episode with an opening weekend box office prediction for ‘The Monkey’ (28:02). For a 20 percent discount on Matt’s Hollywood insi...
Feb 20, 2025•35 min
Matt is joined by Bloomberg’s Lucas Shaw to recap ‘SNL50’ and look ahead to the future of ‘SNL’ in a post–Lorne Michaels world, and wonder whether NBC will continue to finance such a costly and labor intensive show. Then they debate which streamers are under or overpriced based on a new streaming report that compares each streamer’s value based on hours viewed vs. subscription price (02:53). Matt finishes the show with a prediction about Kevin Costner’s ‘Horizon’ franchise (25:56). For a 20 perc...
Feb 18, 2025•33 min
Matt is once again joined by Netflix’s Bela Bajaria for part two of their conversation. They get into their content spend breakdown for 2025 and beyond, their foray into like programming and whether more NFL or new sports like UFC or F1 is on the way, their calculus on data transparency, and the perception of quality vs. quantity (01:13). Matt finishes the show by running through a lightning round of questions with Bela on a variety of hot-button Netflix-related questions (23:41). For a 20 perce...
Feb 14, 2025•37 min
Matt is joined by Bela Bajaria, Netflix’s Chief Content Officer, to discuss all things Netflix, including the ‘Emilia Perez’ scandal, vetting talent, their IMAX deal with Greta Gerwig’s upcoming 'Narnia' movie, struggling to make franchise IP, and why Netflix is misunderstood (03:12). Matt finishes the show with a ratings prediction for the 'SNL50' anniversary show (32:40). For a 20 percent discount on Matt’s Hollywood insider newsletter, ‘What I’m Hearing ...,’ click here. Email us your thought...
Feb 14, 2025•40 min
Matt is joined by award-winning entertainment marketing executive Terry Press to discuss the social media whirlwind surrounding best picture nominated film ‘Emilia Pérez’ after tweets from its star and Best Actress nominee Karla Sofía Gascón have derailed its Oscar campaign. Terry offers her expertise and runs through the awards campaign playbook to outline how Netflix and ‘Emilia Pérez’ can salvage this implosion (02:39). Matt finishes the show with an opening weekend box office prediction for ...
Feb 13, 2025•37 min
Matt is joined by Bloomberg’s Lucas Shaw to discuss the complicated holdup in the sale of Paramount Global to David Ellison and his company, Skydance Media. They break down the situation—which involves Donald Trump's lawsuit over Kamala Harris's '60 Minutes' interview on CBS—and consider the options for Paramount Global head Shari Redstone to get this deal done. They also look ahead at the implications this may have for future mergers in Hollywood (03:32). Matt finishes the show with a predictio...
Feb 10, 2025•33 min
Matt is joined by Antenna CEO Jonathan Carson to look at the NFL in the digital age and provide insight on how streamers are leveraging NFL rights as a massive subscriber event. They talk about some moves the league has made to target different fans, how much of an impact live NFL games have had on Netflix, and if the splintering of NFL rights could lead to diminishing returns (02:32). Matt finishes the show with a Super Bowl ratings prediction (25:27). For a 20 percent discount on Matt’s Hollyw...
Feb 06, 2025•33 min
Matt is joined by Lesli Linka Glatter and Russell Hollander, the president and director, respectively, of the Directors Guild of America, to talk about some of the most important topics for directors in the entertainment industry. They discuss how the DGA manages its relationship with SAG and the WGA; how the AI landscape has changed since its last CBA, including AI's use in the film ‘The Brutalist’; why the TV market is hurting directors; and what the DGA's role is in the Justin Baldoni–Blake L...
Feb 05, 2025•33 min
Matt is joined by Bloomberg’s Lucas Shaw to recap an exciting and star-studded 2025 Grammy Awards, break down what it was like to be there in person, and nominate their biggest winners and losers from music’s biggest night. They also talk about Chappell Roan's acceptance speech pleading for record labels to treat their artists better, Kendrick's dominant night, and Will Smith’s return to the awards show stage (00:00). The guys finish the show with an update to the 2025 Box Office Draft (00:00). ...
Feb 04, 2025•37 min
Matt is joined by ‘Wicked’ producer Marc Platt to discuss how the smash hit musical adaptation got made and why it took so long despite the stage play's successful multi-decade run. They also discuss why 'Wicked' is the only Best Picture–nominated film with only one credited producer, Platt. They also talk about why the ‘Wicked’ marketing campaign was such a success, tough choices he has had to make in his career, and the secret to a great pitch (02:09). Later, Matt makes a prediction about the ...
Feb 01, 2025•37 min
Matt is joined by legendary music industry executive Irving Azoff to discuss FireAid, the massive benefit concert on January 30 to help L.A. fire victims. As the Los Angeles area continues its recovery from devastating wildfires, the benefit concert will raise millions for relief efforts. Irving explains how this concert came together so quickly, including the unprecedented streaming effort that will allow millions to watch for free, as well as how many of the major acts got involved like Billie...
Jan 29, 2025•38 min
Matt is joined by Bloomberg’s Lucas Shaw to break down Netflix’s quarterly earnings report that saw the streamer add nearly 19 million subscribers and its stock price push to $1,000 a share (02:51). As one of the most valuable media companies, where else does Netflix have room to grow? Next, Matt and Lucas make a correction to the 2025 Box Office Draft from last week (25:43). Click HERE to help those affected by the ongoing wildfires in Los Angeles. For a 20 percent discount on Matt’s Hollywood ...
Jan 27, 2025•33 min
Matt is joined by Steven Zeitchik, senior editor at The Hollywood Reporter, to break down some industry angles from the 2025 Oscar nominations, including Netflix's 13 nominations for 'Emilia Pérez' and the movie's chances to win Best Picture in this year's wide-open race, the constituencies among the voters, the growing globalization of the Academy, studio politics, and who they think will win Best Picture (01:59). Click HERE to help those affected by the ongoing wildfires in Los Angeles. For a ...
Jan 24, 2025•33 min
Matt is joined by Harvey Mason Jr., CEO of the Recording Academy and MusiCares, to discuss how the Grammys plan to address and support the people affected by wildfires in Los Angeles, how the week leading up to music's biggest night is changing this year, why the Grammys are moving from CBS to ABC, TikTok’s place in the music industry, and more (02:20). Matt finishes the show with a prediction about the upcoming Mark Wahlberg action film ‘Flight Risk’ (26:06). Click HERE to help those affected b...
Jan 23, 2025•33 min
Matt is joined by Bloomberg’s Lucas Shaw to conduct the third annual box office draft on ‘The Town.’ Matt and Lucas each draft seven blockbuster movies set to be released in 2025 with the goal of making the most money possible against the production budget. Plus, an added twist that allows each person to saddle the other's team with a movie they believe will bomb. Click HERE to help those affected by the ongoing wildfires in Los Angeles. For a 20 percent discount on Matt’s Hollywood insider news...
Jan 22, 2025•46 min
Matt is joined by Warner Bailey to talk about one of the most underdiscussed yet crucial pieces of the Hollywood ecosystem: the assistant. Warner surveyed tens of thousands of currently employed assistants in the entertainment business to answer questions about their current salary, how the job has changed over the years, whether they’d want to be their boss one day, if they’ve ever been asked to do something against their morals, and who the most frightening agent in Hollywood is (02:57). Matt ...
Jan 16, 2025•36 min
Matt is joined by Amy Reisenbach, the president of CBS Entertainment, to talk about how broadcast networks continue to succeed despite living in a world of streaming and social media. She discusses why these linear networks are still surviving, how a hybrid broadcast-streaming model can be beneficial for legacy networks, and the challenge of programming shows for audiences of different age ranges on linear vs. streaming (02:55). Matt finishes the show with a prediction about a new sports bundle ...
Jan 15, 2025•33 min
Matt is joined by Bloomberg’s Lucas Shaw to discuss the fallout from the devastating fires in L.A. that are still ongoing. So much of Los Angeles is made up of the entertainment industry—from movie stars, directors, and agents to camera operators, teamsters, caterers, and production assistants—thousands of whom have been seriously affected by the fires. Matt and Lucas take a look at how Hollywood can help rebuild the city of L.A., and how it can leverage events like the Oscars and Grammys to act...
Jan 13, 2025•31 min
Matt is joined by Robbie Whelan from the Wall Street Journal to discuss Disney’s most popular non-theme park experience, the cruise line, and its increasing value to Disney. Matt walks us through his own personal experience on a Disney cruise over the holiday break, and they get into the business of how and why this business is so profitable and important for Disney, and if any other company has the IP to leverage something at this scale (03:04). Matt finishes the show with an opening-weekend bo...
Jan 10, 2025•34 min
Matt and Bloomberg’s Lucas Shaw react to the Golden Globes and Lucas gives his takeaways from inside the room Sunday night. Then they look ahead to the new year and pose their biggest industry questions of 2025 (01:48). Finally, Matt looks back at his year in predictions on The Call Sheet and Craig reveals whether this was Matt’s best or worst year of prognosticating (24:31). For a 20 percent discount on Matt’s Hollywood insider newsletter, ‘What I’m Hearing ...,’ click here. Email us your thoug...
Jan 06, 2025•33 min
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! [email protected] Host: Matt Belloni Guest: Lucas Shaw Producers: Cra...
Jan 01, 2025•51 min
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@spot...
Dec 30, 2024•50 min
