Podcasts are no longer future in Hollywood, like a long prophesied invasion.
They are there.
On Sunday, the Golden Globes will honor podcasting for the first time, putting the art form on the same level as, say, acting in “The Pitt” or directing “Sinners.”
Later tonight, Netflix will livestream its first podcast episode, bringing “The Bill Simmons Podcast” to a service better known for “Stranger Things” or “KPop Demon Hunters.” Dozens more podcast titles are still to come.
The podcast industry has been moving closer to Hollywood’s opening arm for years, striking licensing deals and adapting audio shows into television series. Millions have been spent in the lead-up to the wedding, including star-studded parties and low-key brunches in Los Angeles this week to celebrate the podcast’s nominees.
A few years ago, when podcasts began experimenting with video, they were like “hostage videos,” Bill Simmons, a longtime sports commentator and founder of digital media company The Ringer, said Wednesday. He was speaking to a small group of employees and creatives gathered on a West Hollywood balcony to mark the opening of Spotify’s fancy new video studio, complete with five soundproof recording spaces and an arsenal of Erewhon water bottles.
If the first half of this decade was about figuring out how to make more money from podcasts — an industry now estimated at $7.3 billion — the second half will be an “arms race” to make them look good, Mr. Simmons told the New York Times.
Today, podcasts are more like online talk shows than audio streams. Hosts have also transformed themselves into moguls, leveraging their shows to sell cell phone plans, energy drinks and “protein shots.” As more people choose to watch podcasts on high-definition television screens, their quality has also improved.
“They don’t look like ‘Game of Thrones,’ but they look cool,” said Mr. Simmons, now Spotify’s head of conversation strategy, whose early contributions to the medium earned him the nickname “Podfather” in some circles.
The Globes’ top podcast award is “another sign that the industry is ready to recognize this medium on an equal footing with film and television,” said Scott Greenstein, president of SiriusXM, a satellite radio company that has quietly become the leading seller of ads for top podcasts, including “SmartLess,” “Call Her Daddy” and “The Mel Robbins Show,” all nominated for Sunday’s award. SiriusXM already has a sizable presence in Los Angeles, with a six-year-old office across the street from Spotify’s new studio; Mr. Greenstein, a former movie executive, has previously attended the Globes.
Other nominees include Spotify’s “Good Hang with Amy Poehler,” NPR’s “Up First” and Amazon’s “Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard,” whose co-host Monica Padman told the Times it was “mind-boggling” to attend an awards show — her childhood dream — “for a form of media that just didn’t exist when I started dreaming.”
This enthusiasm was echoed when the new podcast category was announced last May. Even outspoken pundits like Awards Daily’s Sasha Stone were impressed.
“On the one hand, they mean absolutely nothing,” Ms. Stone said of the Globes. And yet: “I think they’re trying to modernize, to be more relevant and current, and they see very intelligently that podcasts are the engine of culture. »
Yet the reward comes with some turbulence.
The Golden Globes are co-owned by Jay Penske, who also owns the best-known publications covering the awards circuit (among them: Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Deadline and Gold Derby).
The problems began in October, when a list of 25 eligible podcasts was released by Luminate, a large entertainment data company and former Nielsen subsidiary also owned by Mr. Penske. The methodology was “proprietary,” but published eligibility metrics included audience figures provided by major podcast platforms, estimated revenue from ads and subscriptions, and placement and longevity on various charts.
Many podcast insiders were surprised by the absence of popular shows like “New Heights with Jason and Travis Kelce,” “This American Life,” “Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend” and “The MeidasTouch Podcast,” which was named the 2025 Webby Podcast of the Year.
Dick Clark Productions, which produces the Golden Globes, declined to comment.
A prominent podcast requested more specific comment on its omission, although it did not receive it, a person familiar with the Globes submission process, who requested anonymity so that future review would not be compromised, told the Times. Others weren’t bothered; Jordy Meiselas, founder of the progressive media network MeidasTouch, told the Times that the Golden Globes “weren’t really on our radar.”
In an email, Gabriel Soto, senior director of Edison Research — a widely cited podcast analytics company not owned by Mr. Penske — said the questions raised about Luminate’s neutrality have created “a recipe for controversy,” while adding: “I understand that the controversy may not be that big of a deal for an awards show vying for your attention on Sunday night.”
All six candidates were required to pay a $5,000 fee to upload materials to a screening platform, plus optional fees like $1,000 to email voters, in addition to a more standard $500 initial submission fee. Low-budget productions may benefit from discounts.
It appeared that podcasts could also pay Penske Media titles for promotion in the race. (Many media organizations sell “for your consideration” advertising.)
In October, The Ankler published a variety game offering spots for panelists at a festival for $25,000, or a “creative impact award” and a magazine article for $75,000. The reward paid did not materialize; Following The Ankler report, at least one nominated podcast explicitly asked its parent company not to sue it, according to the person familiar with the process.
As Megyn Kelly quite colorfully explained to fans, she’d rather kill herself than “do a little dog and pony show” for the Golden Globes. (The Times podcast “The Daily” was also shortlisted but was not subject to formal review.)
At the same time, the “Ben Shapiro Show” has made “aggressive” campaign efforts, as the Status media newsletter highlighted in November. No right-wing podcast was ultimately nominated, although Ms. Kelly and Mr. Shapiro were shortlisted along with Tucker Carlson, Candace Owens, Shawn Ryan and Joe Rogan.
Spotify, which co-produced the Globes-nominated “Good Hang with Amy Poehler,” said its promotional investments ahead of the Globes were aimed at elevating the podcast as a whole and highlighting the company’s role in its rise.
With The Hollywood Reporter, she sponsored a Globes panel discussion; co-hosted and produced a lavish party Thursday filled with celebrities, a cornucopia of food stations and singer-songwriter Chaka Khan; and will co-host a Globes pre-show on Sunday with Kareem Rahma of “Subway Takes.”
After the award ceremony — which “Good Hang” is widely expected to win — “The Bill Simmons Podcast” will debut on Netflix, in a first-of-its-kind deal with the streaming service.
The hope is that being on Netflix will help “elevate us and maybe attract new fans,” Mr. Simmons said. The Ringer shows will be the first test of whether video podcasts could succeed on Netflix in the same way they have unexpectedly thrived on YouTube.
“I like being on the ground floor,” Mr. Simmons told the Times. “I think that’s probably when people care the most.”
