It's a five star podcast because of its reach, its access to guests, and Matt's somewhat unpredictable interview style. He does say the quiet thing out loud a lot. BUT Matt, Lucas and Craig are inherently unlikable characters, and for all of Matt's frankness, he will frequently drift into overt insult "comedy," laughing at his own terrible "jokes." An example of this is his obnoxious interview with the CBS entertainment president Amy R. a few months ago. She was incredibly patient and graceful in the face of Matt's foolhardy "joke"-telling. His delivery sounds like he has a meatball stuck in his throat! Lucas is not a memorable writer and commentator, and it's been years since he broke an important story. He reminds me of the slippery "Nathan Thurm" character Martin Short played on SNL back in the day. Not a trustworthy figure the way Kim Masters is. Craig seems like the typical air-headed Bill Simmons acolyte you see pop up on a lot of Ringer shows. What is this unremarkable guy bringing to the table beyond his demographic? Put a better-educated, attractive young woman in this job and maybe Matt and Lucas will up their game? Great show, five stars, never miss an episode.

Seriously you had Brian “cheap fakes” stelter on your show unironically? Ringer would not survive without Spotify. Prob gonna get sold and shut down post Simmons. Deserved

Taylor was NEVER given the opportunity to write a check and match the Braun’s original offer. Braun was on social media posting he owned Taylor after the original sale…. We all saw it. Shocker -dudes carelessly talk about women trying to get control of HER OWN art! Unlike other artists Taylor wrote the songs, planned the fan engagements, plans the videos, etc and am so glad that Taylor owns her art!!

Show is great, fun cameo on studio. Day 1 listener, enjoy. Matt beloni challenging guests and being a realist is the best compared to other interview podcasts. Love it

IM ELIGIBLE FOR AN EMMY !

One of the best podcast about the entertainment industry out there. Belloni is so knowledgeable and knows how to ask the right questions

Matt Belloni is the most cynical man in media!

Love this and it’s so insightful and simplified for a moron like myself.

Instead of having a conversation and learning from his guests which I presume is why he invites them on the show, Matt argues with them and acts like he knows more than they do. This is not a courtroom, this is not investigative journalism. There might be some interviews where you need to ask a tough question. But this podcast is all about Matt. I like the call sheets but the rest is getting hard to listen to.

WARNING: Focus the conversation on YouTube impact and response now or face accelerating TV and movie viewership loss. I am astonished that this podcast is one of the only real Hollywood business podcasts, and yet you STILL DON'T SEEM TO UNDERSTAND THAT YOUTUBE IS SUCKING UP EVERY MARGINAL HOUR AND THIS IS AN EMERGENCY FOR HOLLYWOOD'S BUSINESS MODEL. I know you are scared to over-talk it, but guys it's this giant tidal wave now visible from Century City. YouTube is terrifying.

Matt ran the “sinners needs 300 million to break even” piece on Puck to put Craig’s Box Office draft at a disadvantage

Matt, thank you for having Franklin Leonard on the pod, It was really great, especially in these times when so many in media are scared to challenge MAGA morons. You are awesome Matt.

APA will never get a break😂

Matt & Craig do such a great job — the topics are timely, relevant, and interesting. The guests are a 360-degree, top-to-bottom ‘Who’s Who’ of their industry — which is completely different from what every other Hollywood podcast does (i.e., interviews with actors, and/or the host’s opinions on content). And importantly, the shows cover the day’s topic efficiently, and in a reasonable amount of time. As a podcaster, Matt is like the #1 bartender in L.A., who has come up with the recipe for the perfect Hollywood Cocktail. Five stars, gentleman…and kudos to The Podfather Bill Simmons — who once again proves, by introducing Matt to the national audience, what a good eye for talent he has. It’s a credit to Matt, that he has this in common with Lakers star Luka Doncic: Bill Simmons saw the talent and potential of both Luka & Matt, long before they became what they are today. Yeah, that’s right: I just compared Matt Bellami to Luka Doncic. (I only was introduced to “The Town,” because it popped up on The Ringer. Now I never miss an episode, and will discuss & forward to friends in the business in CA, and my brother who works in the video game industry.) Keep up the good work!

Two men fully not knowing that breast feeding is NOT the same as pumping. JFC. Team Blake. Doesn’t fake feminist man bun know the difference since he thought Blake should be giving birth naked so Justin & the wayfarer creep producers could see her breasts. HW 2.0

I’ve enjoyed listening to The Town for its interesting perspective on the intersection of commerce and art. However, Matt’s repeated derision of several Black celebrities has been increasingly off-putting. Whether it’s unconscious bias or not, it’s noticeable and frankly, disappointing. Unfortunately, this has made the podcast unenjoyable for me, and I’ll no longer be listening.

Please keep bringing on executives, distribution chiefs, and explore more on the indie film front.

I have to agree with another reviewer..he is snarky and a bit dismissive. In addition to his prickly interview style it was evident he had not done adequate research on the subject the guest was there to talk about. It’s like he just read multiple articles on the topic in the trades. There were multiple times when asking questions, he would say he’s playing devils advocate. He didn’t have to tell us, it was very obvious. When he transitioned into talking about the guest’s 2nd legal case he said ,”Now this one I have an opinion on.” Oh, jeez! Buckle up!

Why does everyone have a lisp on this pod? It’s good info but the lack of clear oratory is distracting. The only skill needed on a podcast is a clean, articulate delivery. The guests lisps are even worse. So odd.

I’ve never heard someone be more snide and self righteous about every topic. This host is painful to listen to and he’s just talking about entertainment news. They need to recast, immediately.

Just listened to the podcast on Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively. To say Matt is biased against Baldoni is an understatement. His favoritism toward Lively is evident. Not to mention the fact he had little knowledge of the case and doesn’t realize the Lively has absolutely nothing to back up her claims. Baldoni is the party that had provided evidence to back his claims.

Hit or miss for the episodes, but it’s the editing/audio that annoys me the most. Get a post team and a pop filter!

It is crystal clear by the way that Matthew speaks about animation that he doesn’t respect it as an artform. It’s an incredible shame considering that animation is a huge part of our industry and box office.

I love this podcast and I appreciate that Matt doesn't hang so far left on most issues and instead understands that some policies are just plain business. The interview that impressed me most was his interview with Scott Galloway about the bottom-line gains and losses of the WGA strike in 2023. Matt isn't afraid to give a platform to someone who says something unpopular with industry mouthpieces. I'm not saying Galloway was 100% correct, but I'll bet his comments will influence WGA board members in the next negotitaion, whether they admit it or not. Thanks, Matt! Love the show.

Some people get furious to hear other people using their brains, when they wish the world around them was as witless as they are. Keep it up lefties!

I started listening to this podcast based on Matt’s appearances on ‘The Business’. The interview with Bela Bajaria is the reason why I don’t listen to this as much as I used to….or as much as I listen to Kim Masters. The interview was snarky and combative at times when it didn’t need to be. I was excited to see this interview. Of course, I want him to dig deep and get a good story from Bela, but his neo-aggressive style makes his approach less than pleasurable to listen to (at times). Give more engaging journalism. Less courtroom examination. This show is good at times. Other times, I like Matt more as Kim Masters “B Mic”.

ANOTHER UPDATE: This host is so stupid. There are people who are clueless or common sense doesn’t come easy. But this lefty douche bag is a stupid person. This dude is only concerned with what the industry wants him to spew. Trannies, terrorist Muslims, illegal aliens can all come here and get a fresh dose of encouragement and support for their mental illnesses or their criminal acts. I’m baffled that two clearly slanted, in their own bubble libs with lisps, run a show about a multimillion dollar industry. These two clearly have no idea why shows and movies are failing. Disney. Hero movies. Franchises. It’s because the MAJORITY of the nation doesn’t want to have transgender trash and demonic garbage shoved down their throats. They want good story not shallow characters and pointless plots with green alien babies. Why did Top Gun Maverick do well? Great story about Americans. Why is Yellowstone doing so well? It’s about American. With American cowboys. Before you do the show get a feel for the pulse of the rest of the country. And it is 2023 where there is easy access to speech therapy. Go be an adult and get the help you need so when you speak you don’t sound like an 8 year old asking mommy for a PBJ sandwich. UPDATE JULY 2023 The fact that this “host” is calling “SOUND OF FREEDOM” a Qanon movie, and that he hasn’t seen it, shows he is a clueless dope. My respect for him has completely tanked. I am hoping it isn’t long before this guy is completely out of work because he supports the disgusting practices in Hollywood that are becoming exposed. Enjoy the unemployment line, Lefty Boy.

For the love of god why is this middle aged mediocre white man being interviewed on this show. He’s a sexist imbecile who makes only dated references and has nothing interesting or insightful to say. Bringing him on just demonstrates poor judgement by the producers of this podcast

This podcast is very good You did a good job interviewing people Matthew

Fantastic host

Many. Ads. All pucks shows are little more than spam with all the ads. The town isn’t quite at bad as TPTB, but still egregious, and a strange business model.

Nikki Glaser killed hosting the globes, if she were a man the hosts would have no problem admitting that. Matt holds women to a different standard on this show and doesn’t measure their success fairly. He is constantly unimpressed by some of the most talented women in the industry (ex: Nikki Glaser, Taylor Swift).

that’s it…hosts is a jackass…

I have tried hard to stomach Matt Belloni’s dudebro attitude and misogynistic behavior because I do really think this is one of the better podcasts out there for gaining insight into the financial and social aspects of Hollywood, but the complete dismissal of Blake Lively’s serious and disturbing sexual harassment claims on the most recent podcast was the last straw for me. Belloni has a history of disregarding serious accusations of misconduct against women (Amber Heard, Angelina Jolie, etc.) and it’s clear he is just a straight up misogynist. I’m not giving any more downloads/listens to someone who struggles to demonstrate even the most basic decency anytime a woman accuses a powerful man of harassment. It honestly makes me wonder what types of skeletons Belloni may have in his closet.

Good entertainment dealmaking and politics at first but then realized they were kinda morons. 2 stars??

Seriously the reason Poor Things did well on streaming is because of nudity? Oh wait you did acknowledge a bit that maybe the awards had something to do with it. I wish just once you weren’t so in love with your own voice.

I don’t understand why the host of this show is yelling.

Love Matt Belloni’s analysis of the entertainment industry. I’m not in the industry but love having the knowledge as an LA resident.

Why are we giving airtime to producer Craig? Uninformed, not knowledgeable. Good for him for falling into an opportunity, but I would prefer to hear information from someone who knows what they are talking about.

Can’t be that hard? Please?

I work on the business side of the industry and every week I look forward to this pod’s take on the hottest issues of the day. The guest list is well curated and I’ve gotten several colleagues to start listening as well. Unlike some other reviewers I don’t mind Matt’s style; he challenges his guests and asks tough questions, what any good podcaster/journalist should do.

In regards to your music industry peaked episode. The top time was that Brittney and n sync time as far as real sales. Things have changed due to the internet but there’s one thing you guys don’t know. Spotify’s numbers are completely fake and Sabrina Carpenter is not a fraction as popular as Brittney’s worst period. It only costs dollars to send millions of listens, saves, thumbs ups, etc to Spotify from online services. The big companies have private systems that are even better. Then they also tell us that X artist is getting billions of listens to make the masses think that artist actually is what’s hot when it’s the most generic, poorly written and mastered music ever, and they keep beating that record. They have farms of people who just put together the cheapest songs and then assign them to artists. I know many producers and artists and all about the fake numbers side of this and I see the work real artists (who aren’t getting famous) put into their work that SHOULD actually get more “real” thumbs ups and listens and saves and real fans for life. Sabrina Carpenter and Dua Lipa and their likes are the worst things to happen to the music industry and if I could choose between their music and never hearing any music again, I’d rather have none. Also, Spotify’s algorithm for discovering new music is terrible compared to Pandora’s. Unfortunately, Pandora’s library is nowhere the size of Spotify, but if you’re someone who wants to discover music similar to what you like, their algorithm is unmatched. Spotify just had all the aggressive marketing.

What an awesome amount of Hollywood news, I devour it on the release dates. It’s great to have different perspectives with Lucas Shaw, Producer Craig and insider guests (recent one, Leslie Goldberg talks like me & my friends). My only worry is that Matt will realize what a gem this is and put up a paywall. Let’s face it, I’ll pay.

Why does Matt talk to all guests like they are stupid? He clearly only thinks his own takes are worth the time, disagreeing just to disagree. And is just waiting for the guest to stop talking so he can loudly. He has no respect for them. He also always leaves out the fact that we are in a recession when talking about the success of these big studios. Maybe people can’t afford every streamer and every movie nowadays. Just clueless analysis going in circles over and over.

I always thought Matt was a little condescending, but enjoyed learning about the business and economic side of the entertainment industry. However, I have officially stopped listening after guest tried to converse and Matt stopped him saying “please save your questions until the end”. This happens all the time and ends up being him talking the whole time.

The haters are on the wrong podcast. Topics are things NOT discussed on other podcasts.

I left LA in 2019 and The Town makes me feel like I never left. Matt is a king and Lucas is his Monday queen! Shout out to producer Craig too. Thanks for me foreshadowing the Roku disaster so I could sell those stocks too!

With his titles, he does nothing more than gaslight for headlines.

I live movie pod casts and Bellini has a really unique angle. Thinking deeply and critically about the infrastructure of moviemaking.

Another day, another opportunity for Matt to completely steamroll and condescend to a woman guest.