Why the NFL (and Everything Else) Keeps Breaking Ratings Records

Why the NFL (and Everything Else) Keeps Breaking Ratings Records

Author: The Ringer December 4, 2025 Duration: 32:26
Matt is joined by Nielsen Global Media executive Brian Fuhrer to discuss why NFL ratings seem to be setting new viewership records all the time, how sports-ratings measurements have changed, why these numbers are so important for sports leagues, and which leagues are growing the fastest (02:35). Matt finishes the show with an opening weekend box office prediction for ‘Five Nights at Freddy's 2’ (26:35). 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: Brian Fuhrer Producers: Craig Horlbeck and Jessie Lopez Theme Song: Devon Renaldo Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Ever wonder what Hollywood executives are really arguing about in their private meetings, or how the fate of a billion-dollar franchise gets decided over a tense lunch? That’s the kind of access you get with The Town with Matthew Belloni. Hosted by Puck founding partner Matt Belloni, this isn't just industry gossip-it's a direct line to the mechanics of entertainment, powered by exclusive reporting and decades of insight. Each episode pulls back the curtain on the stories behind the stories, whether it's the strategy of the latest streaming war or the creative battles inside a Marvel movie. Several times a week, Belloni sits down with the major players themselves: the dealmakers, studio heads, and journalists who are shaping what we watch. Their conversations cut straight to the core of what’s getting made and why, pinpointing who’s winning and who’s losing in real time. Listening to this podcast feels like having a front-row seat to the most important conversations in show business, the ones that happen after the cameras stop rolling. For anyone fascinated by the intersection of power, money, and creativity in culture, The Town delivers the unfiltered context that turns headlines into understanding.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

The Town with Matthew Belloni
Podcast Episodes
How to Chart a Career Path in Modern Hollywood, With Rachel Sennott [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 41:31
Live from Chapman University, Matt and Bloomberg’s Lucas Shaw sit down with the star and showrunner of HBO’s ‘I Love LA,’ Rachel Sennott, to talk about how to chart a career path in modern Hollywood, how she pitched and…
How David Ellison Plans to Mash Two Major Studios Into One [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 39:51
Matt is joined by Rich Greenfield from LightShed Partners to discuss how David Ellison plans to merge Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery, how much the cost cutting and consolidation will affect the industry, what will…
Emergency Pod! Paramount Outbids Netflix and Wins Warner Bros. [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 35:29
Emergency episode! Matt is joined by Bloomberg’s Lucas Shaw to react to Netflix pulling out of the Warner Bros sweepstakes after Paramount raised its bid to $31 per share, bringing the overall offer to $111B. They break…
The Retro Innovation of ‘The Pitt,’ With Lead Producer John Wells [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 33:46
Matt is joined by John Wells, executive producer of ‘The Pitt,’ to discuss how ‘The Pitt’ is reviving an old model of television and why it is considered innovative in 2026. John talks about how the show is made, the ben…
Sony Film CEO on Losing ‘Sinners’ and the Endless Big Tech Battle [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 28:38
Live from the American Film Institute, Matt is joined by Bloomberg’s Lucas Shaw and the CEO of Sony Film, Tom Rothman, to discuss why now is the fifth moment of crisis in the history of the movie industry, how large-scal…
Why the Former Sony Head Blames Himself for the Infamous Hack [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 32:59
Matt is joined by Michael Lynton, former head of Sony Pictures and current chairman of Snap Inc., to open up about his regrets greenlighting the movie ‘The Interview,' which ultimately led to the infamous Sony hack. Mich…