In Golden Globes, all of their brilliance is not gold.
When the annual Film Awards show unveiled its new Best Podcast Category for 2026, content creators were watching the stars.
Joe Rogan, Tucker Carlson and Dave Portnoy are on the same red carpet as Taylor Swift! ?
But Globe told the “groundbreaking inclusion” of the medium in its 83rd Annual Awards on January 11th – “By Recognizing the Extraordinary Diverse Talent in Podcasts,” but Pod Pros personally fumed when they inferred fine printing.
Top Content Executives call the new best podcast category the new Penske media “Rackets” rather than innovation.
When the press release for the new Best Podcast Awards was announced in May, I explained it in a copy. “The top 25 podcasts qualify for the award with a total of six final nominations in the category.
Some media pros have wondered how “Top 25 Podcasts” would be chosen. For example, Spotify’s top 25 currently includes “Joe Rogan Experience” and podcasts hosted by comedians like the right-wingers, such as former Fox News host Carlson and Candace Owen, influencer Jake Shane and former NFL star Cam Come Newton.
But when rules were put in place in the “next weeks,” the source of the top 25 podcasts wasn’t just Apple Charts.
“Eligible podcasts are drawn only from curated lists of “Top 25 Podcasts,” reads, and “The list of “Top 25 Podcasts” is determined by Luminate, an entertainment data and analytics company.
What seemed to have been not mentioned by the Rules was that it owned by Luminate… you guessed it! Pensuke.
A source wondering what it was when Luminate saw the name says, “Pensuke’s is out of control.” The source added, “They decide on the top 25 podcasts by saying that outside companies will (measure) statistics,” and “It’s Luminate! Pensuke!”
The Hollywood veteran huffed, “It’s all a racket,” adding, “They haven’t told advertisers.”
Sources argued that “the new category of (The)Globes is actually just a vehicle.” This claimed to go to ads going to Penske Autolets for the Penske Awards show with eligibility determined by the Penske Company.
Penske has owned the Golden Globes since 2023 since purchasing the show through Dick Clark Productions of the Whacky Hollywood Foreign Association at Wonky.
Pensuke then for profits under its ownership, and has mini-monopoly on billboards that thrive with variety, Hollywood reporters, deadlines and more, as well as “your consideration” ads from studios.
After buying the show, Pensuke was also accused of cracking down on access to media other than Pensuke at the awards, supporting its own outlet.
At the time, the official said that press tickets were reduced because the ballroom was set up at Beverly Hilton, where the awards are held annually.
Page 6 traditionally had a spot on the award, but was suddenly dropped when Pensuke controlled it.
The person in charge did not comment.
Other outlets, such as Puck, Ankler, The Lap and The La Times, are aiming to “you consideration” ads in the studio, along with Penske properties.
The top 25 list of Luminate eligibility is determined by data from platforms such as Apple, Spotify, YouTube, and Luminate. The company is part of a joint venture between PMC and Eldridge and not part of Pensuke’s editing operations.
The Podcasts Awards were previously the realm of small profile shows, A La the Webbys and Iheart Podcast Awards.
After seeking comment on the story on Thursday, the Golden Globes released 25 top podcast lists including “The Joe Rogan Experience,” “The Megging Kelly Show,” “The Tucker Carlson Show,” “The Tucker Carlson Show,” “The Cole Her Dad,” “Bensha Piro Show,” “Binsha Piro Show,” “Bill Simmons Podcast,” “Smartless,” and “Smartless.” “Pod Save America,” “My Take,” “A Good Hang with Amy Polar,” and “Dachshund Shepherd Armchair Expert.”
The Golden Globes previously said that its submission website will open on October 2nd in a 2026 podcast entry.
The nomination will be announced on December 8th.
Comedian Nicky Glazer is on board to host the 2026 Golden Globes ceremony after successfully hosting her successful host in 2025. She is the first woman to host a show solo and successfully rocks the ceremony in comedy called “Ozempic’s biggest night.”
According to Nielsen, the latest glove – big winners “Brutal”, “Emilia Perez”, “shōgun” and “Hacking” attracted 9.3 million viewers, down 2% from the previous year. The show will air on CBS and Paramount+.
