The Business

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Lively banter about entertainment industry news and in-depth interviews with directors, producers, writers and actors, hosted by award-winning journalist Kim Masters of The Hollywood Reporter.

VOR 2 TAGEN

Palme d’Or winner Jafar Panahi on ‘It Was Just an Accident’ and returning to Iran under legal threat

This week, Kim Masters sits down with Academy Award nominated Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi to discuss his Palme d’Or winning film It Was Just an Accident. Panahi explains why he self finances his films, bringing in partners only after he decides the work is worthy of his signature, and how he has continued to shoot in secret despite years of arrests, censorship, and government bans. He also reflects on his decision to return to Iran after the awards season, even as he faces the possibility of another prison sentence. Plus, Masters and Matt Belloni dig into the latest twists in the Warner Bros. sale, including Paramount’s new concessions aimed at winning over regulators and shareholders. They weigh the limits of President Trump’s influence over the deal, and how a major investor group’s shifting position could reshape the bidding landscape and spark further legal battles.

30 Min.
6. FEB.

Steamrollers, record breakers, and late surges: Inside the 2026 Oscar nominees

This week, Kim Masters is joined by Scott Feinberg, The Hollywood Reporter’s Executive Editor of Awards, for a deep dive into the 2026 Oscar nominees. Feinberg unpacks the debut of the new Best Casting category and explains the strategy behind Warner Bros.' support for its Best Picture frontrunners One Battle After Another and Sinners. Plus, Masters and Matt Belloni dig into the power shifts at Disney, including Josh D’Amaro’s appointment as CEO and Dana Walden’s elevation to president and chief creative officer of The Walt Disney Company. They also unpack Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos’s trip to Capitol Hill for a Senate antitrust hearing, and why Paramount’s David Ellison chose to sit this one out during his own trip to Washington.

30 Min.
30. JAN.

Alexandria Stapleton on chronicling the rise and reckoning of Sean Combs

This week, Kim speaks with Alexandria Stapleton, the DGA Award nominated director of Sean Combs: The Reckoning, a Netflix docuseries that examines the rise and fall of the hip hop mogul. Stapleton discusses partnering with executive producer 50 Cent, her approach to telling the story without turning it into a hit piece, and the care required when working with the alleged victims of Combs. She also explains how Netflix’s legal team vetted controversial pre arrest footage that Combs had commissioned himself. Plus, Masters and Matt Belloni break down the final Sundance Film Festival hosted in Park City, and try to make sense of the $40 million+ Melania Trump documentary, including a reported $35 million marketing spend. The banter partners also dig into newly unsealed messages in the Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni dispute, including Ryan Reynolds’ not-so-subtle emails to Sony executives.

30 Min.
23. JAN.

Tom Freston on building MTV during cable’s wild west years

This week, Kim sits down with former Viacom CEO and MTV co-founder Tom Freston to discuss his memoir, Unplugged: Adventures from MTV to Timbuktu. From his vagabond youth to the birth of MTV and his years working under billionaire mogul Sumner Redstone, Freston reflects on a career spent shaping modern media, and weighs in on the Warner Bros. succession fight, arguing that Netflix may be the legacy studio’s best-fit suitor. Speaking of the streamer, Masters and Matt Belloni break down Netflix’s stock stumble despite reported subscriber growth, as Co-CEO Ted Sarandos reiterates the company’s commitment to honoring theatrical windows for Warners. To wrap things up, the banter partners dig into CNN’s potential spin-off value within Warner Bros. Discovery’s cable portfolio, pushing back on claims that the asset is worthless amid intensifying merger scrutiny.

32 Min.
16. JAN.

‘Sentimental Value’ director Joachim Trier is begging Netflix to embrace movie theaters

This week, Kim Masters sits down with writer-director Joachim Trier to discuss his Cannes Grand Prix–winning film Sentimental Value. Trier explains how he structures his financing to preserve creative control while allowing for longer shooting schedules — and still delivering returns for his investors. He also reveals why he broke his own “no-begging the talent” rule when he persuaded newly minted Golden Globe winner Stellan Skarsgård to join the project. And the filmmaker shares why Sentimental Value takes a playful jab at a certain streamer’s reluctance to embrace theatrical exhibition. Plus, Masters and Matt Belloni take aim at the Golden Globes’ awkward corporate promos — from online betting to a tone-deaf UFC cameo. The pair then break down the latest in Paramount CEO David Ellison’s showdown with Warner Bros. as Netflix weighs an all-cash bid to cut through the drama.

30 Min.
14. JAN. · BONUS

SPECIAL PREVIEW: Joachim Trier on 'Sentimental Value'

Listen to a special preview of Kim Masters’ conversation with Joachim Trier about his film Sentimental Value.

5 Min.
9. JAN.

Tim Blake Nelson on balancing acting, directing, writing, and his novel ‘Superhero’

Kim Masters talks with Tim Blake Nelson about his wide-ranging career in entertainment. Best known for his breakout role in O Brother, Where Art Thou?, Nelson is also a director, screenwriter, and playwright, and he’s now out with a second novel, Superhero—a black comedy about the making of a big-budget comic-book film that follows executives, cast, and crew caught in the pressure cooker of a chaotic production. He also shares his perspective on the Warner Bros. sale and explains how his fascination with the entertainment business informed the book. Meanwhile, Warner Bros. has once again formally rejected Paramount’s latest offer, favoring a deal with Netflix. As the streamer moves closer to acquiring the legacy studio, theatrical exhibitors have taken their protest to Congress, warning the sale would have a “direct and irreversible negative impact on movie theaters around the world.” Masters and Matt Belloni break down the latest developments in the battle for Warner Bros.

30 Min.
2. JAN.

Hollywood in 2026: Disney’s next CEO, industry tariffs, and Netflix vs. YouTube

Kim Masters rings in the new year with Matt Belloni and Lucas Shaw to forecast what 2026 could hold for Hollywood. The trio debates Disney’s long-simmering succession question, the impact of Trump administration tariffs on the industry, and YouTube’s growing ambitions in original programming. Plus, we revisit a conversation between Masters and Jesse Eisenberg about his award winning film, A Real Pain. The writer, director, and actor talks about the challenges of capturing the complicated feelings of the descendents of holocaust survivors while still including humor. They also talk about the special relevance that Majdanek–the concentration camp the two cousins visit in the film–has for Masters.

30 Min.

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Kim Masters

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Scott Feinberg

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Matt Belloni

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Rian Johnson

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Ram Bergman

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Kelly Reichardt

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Lively banter about entertainment industry news and in-depth interviews with directors, producers, writers and actors, hosted by award-winning journalist Kim Masters of The Hollywood Reporter.