The Golden Globes has caused quite a stir with its new best podcast category. The controversy isn’t the category; it’s the winner-selection process that’s causing concern. You see, Luminate, a company owned by Penske Media, is creating the shortlist. Who owns the Golden Globes? You guessed it – Penske Media
Industry insiders are mad about the new Golden Globes podcast category
Many in the media industry celebrated the news that the Golden Globes is launching a podcast category in 2026. Unfortunately, that joy was pretty short lived. Now, the finer details have left many feeling cheated.
In May, the organization unveiled a new award for Best Podcast via a press release. It read: “The top 25 podcasts will qualify for the award with a total of six final nominations for the category.” It also noted that the organizers would announce “comprehensive eligibility criteria” about the award in due course.
Now it’s been revealed that Luminate, an entertainment data and analytics company, will pick the top 25 podcasts. This has enraged many content creators. The reason? Luminate belongs to Penske. That’s the same company that owns the Golden Globes. Not exactly impartial, right?
An industry insider said: “The Penske thing is out of control. They said an outside company will [measure] the stats” to determine the top 25 podcasts. It’s all a racket… they’re not telling advertisers,” reports Page Six.
After acquiring the Golden Globes in 2023, Penske converted it into a for-profit operation. The media giant also owns Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Deadline, and Billboard.
On Thursday, the organization released the top 25 podcasts. It features shows like Alex Cooper’s “Call Her Daddy,” “The Joe Rogan Experience,” and “Good Hang with Amy Poehler.”
The Globes will announce the final nominations on December 8.
TELL US – IS THE NEW CATEGORY A “RACKET?“
