Netflix in the Senate Hot Seat, and Disney’s Demographic Problem

The Town with Matthew Belloni

The Ringer

Society & Culture

4.3 • 1.1K Ratings

🗓️ 10 February 2026

⏱️ 33 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Matt is joined by Bloomberg’s Lucas Shaw to get his thoughts after attending the Netflix hearing in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee’s Antitrust Subcommittee examining the proposed acquisition of Warner Bros. by Netflix. They discuss the most valid arguments made during the hearing, Ted Sarandos’s comments on theatrical distribution, and if Paramount has any chance to still win the bidding war (00:00). Later, they discuss new Disney CEO Josh D’Maro’s biggest problems to hurdle as he ushers in a new era at Disney (15:54). Finally, Matt makes a prediction about Casey Wasserman’s involvement in the 2028 Olympics (27:16). Producers: Craig Horlbeck, Jessie Lopez, and Jon Jones Theme Song: Devon Renaldo AVATAR: FIRE AND ASH. FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	300 years of expertise in every twining sleep blend.
0:06.0	100 hours of craft in every cup.
0:10.0	Eight natural ingredients in every sip.
0:14.0	One night of winding down in every drop.
0:18.0	Your moment of serenity.
0:23.8	Brought to you by twining sleep.
0:25.1	Twinings.
0:27.8	Alive in every drop.
0:37.3	Before we get started, I have an announcement to make. The town is going on tour. Yes, we're going to three top film schools around Southern California. Craig is driving the town bus. Going to Chapman, going to USC, going to AFI, and we're going to bring some special guests along with us. Unfortunately, tickets are only for people that go to those film schools or alumni, but we're going to post the episodes on Spotify, YouTube, and all of the other platforms, so you will be able to listen.
1:00.7	And if this is successful, maybe we'll do more.
1:03.3	I'm looking at the Aruba, Bahamas film schools.
1:05.9	All right, let's get to the show.
1:07.3	This episode of The Town is presented by 20th Century studios, Avatar, Fire, and Ash. Don't
1:12.6	miss the movie Critics Are Raving is epic and exciting and gorgeous and heartbreaking, and stands as one of
1:18.1	the greatest films ever made. It's got incredible visuals, jaw-dropping action, and a cinematic
1:23.6	achievement. Avatar, Fire, and Ash, now playing in theaters, and now nominated for the
1:29.0	Academy Awards for Best Visual Effects and Best Costume Design. It is Monday, February 9th.
1:35.2	It's been a pretty wild week in the saga of what's going to happen to Warner Brothers.
1:39.5	Netflix, which is in the process of buying the studio in HBO Max for $83 billion,
1:44.3	its co-CEO. Ted Sarandos was summoned to a surreal hearing before a U.S. Senate subcommittee in Washington,
1:50.3	alongside the top strategy executive for Warner Discovery.
1:53.8	This was supposed to be about whether Netflix buying Warner's was bad for consumers,
	...

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