Golden Globes podcast category ripped as ‘money grab’ as controversy swirls: ‘Out of control’

To quote the late Nikki Finke, “Toldja!”

After Page Six exclusively revealed media insiders were fuming over the Golden Globes’ new best podcast category — calling it a Penske Media “racket” rather than an innovation — our competitors at the
Ankler, Puck and Status have taken note.

So has the industry at large.

Penske owns the Golden Globes as well as Hollywood trades like Variety, the Hollywood Reporter and Deadline (once founded by firebrand Finke).

We exclusively reported that when the Globes recently announced its new podcasting category, it said the Top 25 eligible shows would be picked by an outside data company, Luminate — which insiders were surprised to learn just so happened to be owned by Penske, too, when they looked further.

And now that the Penske-owned Luminate has issued its list for the Penske-owned awards, the Penske-owned trades are reaching out to the podcasts for solicitations to launch pricey For Your Consideration
campaigns that could reach into six figures.

A source previously told Page Six: “The Penske thing is out of control,” adding, “they said an outside company will [measure] the stats” to determine the top 25 podcasts,” and, “it’s Luminate! Penske!”

(Non-Penske outlets like the Ankler, Puck, the LA Times and others also vie for FYC money.)

Off the bat, potential podcast nominees must reportedly pay the Globes $500 to be considered, due by Oct. 31. Penske has owned the Golden Globes since 2023 when it acquired the show via its Dick Clark Productions from the wonky, whacky Hollywood Foreign Press Association. 

The podcasts will now be encouraged to mount expensive campaigns to vie for nominations the same way movie and TV project usually do, according to a Variety sales pitch posted by the Ankler.

For $5,000, wannabe nominees can upload their projects to the Golden Globes Screening Platform, the Ankler reported.

Status reported that wannabe podcast nominees have been approached by Variety to pay $25,000 to become a supporting partner at its “Podcasting FYC Fest” (which gets you, Golden Globes hopeful, on a Variety panel as well as Variety coverage, social posts and a full-page color ad in the its “FYC Fest Preview” out Nov. 11.)

Reports said that $35,000 gets a potential podcast nominee a “custom 15-minute Variety-moderated conversation.”

Or, podcasts can splash out for a $75,000 “Variety Creative Impact Award in Podcasting,” which gets you a Variety feature and an honor at FYC Fest, reports said.

A source told Page Six that podcasts that are not part of the Top 25 are also being offered the packages, too. “Adding this [podcasting] category is just a money grab,” a podcasting insider huffed to Page Six.

Either way, it seems like some podcasts won’t play ball.

The Ankler reported that the eligible podcast “This Past Weekend w/ Theo Von” won’t be submitting itself for consideration, and that someone representing Von commented, “I am honored Theo is mentioned by the Golden Globes but I have no interest in engaging with them or commenting.”

But when we reached out, a rep for Penske Media refuted that Von isn’t participating — and said the person who commented to the Ankler doesn’t rep the podcast host. The rep also told Page Six: “The podcast and entertainment industry remain extremely excited about the Golden Globes first ever podcast award, and nearly every eligible nominee has submitted to be recognized for their exceptional work.” 

The category also brings up other issues as many of the Top 25 shows that are eligible for consideration are hosted by right-wing hosts who disdain Hollywood, from Tucker Carlson to Mergyn Kelly and Candace
Owens.

We hear that Owens is on the fence about participating.

The Ankler’s “Like & Subscribe” newsletter reported sources as saying that “The Ben Shapiro Show” is rumored to be plotting a campaign. (The podcast did not comment.)

Some popular shows, like Travis and Jason Kelce’s “New Heights” were snubbed, which would have brought Taylor Swift to the Golden Globes again this year.

Then again, the podcasting category could bring in a new element — and revenue — to the for-profit Golden Globes, right-wing media.

A source told us: “There’s no way that these Golden Globes voters” are going to back the conservative podcasts. “When the list [of nominees] comes out, watch it be Amy Poehler, Dax Shepard,” and other Hollywood picks. But, “If you want to go out there and honor podcasts, you can’t just ignore that’s what America wants and likes.”

The Ankler reported that days before Luminate’s Top 25 list came out, the Globes “circulated a draft that was missing popular podcasts including Alex Cooper’s ‘Call Her Daddy,’ ‘SmartLess’ from trio Jason Bateman, Will Arnett and Sean Hayes, ‘Armchair Expert with Dax Shephard’ and ‘Good Hang With Amy Poehler.’”

But Luminate allegedly adjusted the list to include the popular shows after “key podcast stakeholders flagged the omissions,” the report said.

The showbiz newsletter also mentioned that the final list was “released a few days later on Oct. 2, at the odd hour of 7:30 p.m. PT.” (Or behind the scenes, late in the day Page Six called for comment when the list “oddly” appeared.)

Puck’s Matt Belloni called it all “an unfolding scandal” on his podcast, “The Town,” as well as “gross.”

A Penske rep had no comment about the Variety ad packages.

We’re told that Luminate’s top 25 list for eligibility is determined by data from platforms including Apple, Spotify and YouTube, and that the company is part of a PMC and Eldridge joint venture, and is not part of Penske’s editorial ops. 

It also supplies data for Billboard, another Penske outlet.