Today’s episode is about the entertainment and media industry’s tumultuous summer, the streaming wars, a come-to-Jesus moment for movie theaters, and a dramatic revamp at CNN—which tells a lot about the state of the news industry. My guest is Matt Belloni, host of the Ringer podcast 'The Town' and a founding partner at Puck News. He tells us what he’s hearin ... Show More
Nov 3
The Midterms and the End of the Boomer Political Era
Well, it’s midterm day in America, and on my mind are three huge questions for tonight. Number 1: How much water is in the blue wave? Number 2: Everyone’s talking about the cost of living, inflation, and affordability, but who actually wants to do something about it? And number 3 ... Show More
1h 13m
Oct 30
The Netflix Crisis Isn’t What It Seems
No matter how you look at it, Netflix is having a pretty bad year. Stock is down, growth has slowed, the company recently laid off roughly 1,000 people, and it dismissed its chief content officer and its head of film. After a decade of explosive growth and dominance over traditio ... Show More
54m 1s
Jun 2024
Will the Debate Debacle Revive TV News?
Matt is joined by journalist, podcast host, and cofounder of Semafor, Ben Smith, to discuss how last night's dispiriting debate will affect CNN and the TV news landscape as we move towards the 2024 election. Will the debate revive CNN and give it the story it's been looking for? ... Show More
32m 25s
Apr 2022
A tumultuous week in media: From CNN to Disney, Netflix to Twitter, WaPo to NYT
Brian Stelter covers the end of CNN+, Elon Musk's bid for Twitter and other media stories with Mara Schiavocampo, Oliver Darcy and Sara Fischer. Plus, Jonathan Haidt makes the case that social media has made American life "uniquely stupid;" White House Correspondents Association ... Show More
42m 1s
Jun 2023
CNN’s Messy Chris Licht Era Is Over, Now What?
Matt is joined by Puck’s Dylan Byers to discuss the details behind Chris Licht’s fallout with CNN, why this happened now, how this reflects on Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zazlov, and what needs to be done to save CNN.
For a 20 percent discount on Matt’s Hollywood insider ne ... Show More
32m 28s
Mar 2025
The Four Hottest Topics Around Town: ‘Mickey 17’, Warner Bros., Trump, and Apple TV+
Matt is joined by Bloomberg’s Lucas Shaw to discuss the hottest narratives around town and give their optimistic and pessimistic views of each. These narratives include: Hollywood is catering its content to Trump’s audience, movies like ‘Mickey 17’ leaving theaters so quickly are ... Show More
32m 26s
Feb 2024
Panic Time for Max and Warner Bros. Discovery?
Matt is joined by Bloomberg’s Lucas Shaw to check in on Warner Bros. Discovery and CEO David Zazlav after a rocky earnings call last week. They discuss the disappointing movie quarter, their murky path to streaming profitability, the state of the MAX brand, whether they will keep ... Show More
32m 21s
Feb 2025
How the Right Took Over the Media
Ben Smith, former media columnist at the New York Times and now the editor-in-chief of Semafor, joins Dan to talk about today's ultra-challenging news media landscape. The industry is significantly weaker than it was in 2016, and Trump's aggressive lawsuits have the executives in ... Show More
1h 8m