Lynnae is a journalist covering the intersection of technology, culture, and gambling. She has more than five years of experience as a writer and editor, with bylines at SlashGear and MakeUseOf. On the iGaming side,...
Read Full BioThe 83rd Golden Globes aired Sunday night, just two days after organizers announced a new partnership with Polymarket. This marked the first time a major awards show integrated live prediction market data into its broadcast and related events.
As part of the deal, Polymarket was named the exclusive prediction market partner of the Golden Globes, providing real-time odds and market insights related to award outcomes featured across Golden Globes live events and digital platforms.
The Golden Globes and Polymarket announced the partnership on January 9, ahead of the January 11 ceremony, which was broadcast on CBS and streamed on Paramount+.
In a press release announcing the deal, Polymarket founder and CEO Shayne Coplan described it as a natural extension of the speculation that takes place in the lead-up to the award show.
“The Golden Globes have long been a place where audiences debate and predict what will happen next,” Coplan said. “Polymarket reflects those expectations through markets spanning entertainment and culture, and this partnership brings that perspective directly into one of the awards season’s biggest moments. By pairing cultural debate with market-based probabilities, we’re giving fans a new, more interactive way to follow the show as it unfolds.”
Golden Globes organizers agreed with Coplan’s view, with Craig Perreault, president of Penske Media Corporation, calling the partnership “a groundbreaking new frontier” for audience engagement.
Polymarket and the Golden Globes promoted their collaboration heavily on social media over the weekend and during the ceremony, posting photos of Polymarket-branded displays and boards that showed prediction markets covering some of the most popular award categories.
Mixed Online Reaction to Integration of Polymarket Odds
As one might expect, viewers voiced strong opinions on both sides of the issue after Polymarket’s data appeared during the awards show. The reactions on X were swift, with prediction market supporters welcoming the inclusion of betting-style odds and pointing out how they’d added to the conversation around the outcomes as they unfolded.
An account affiliated with Polymarket posted, “Polymarket stole the show at the Golden Globes!” and went on to say how they believed it had added value to the broadcast, highlighting some of the commentary from celebrities who were a part of the show.
However, many other accounts took a critical view of having betting lines integrated into the broadcast, with many expressing the view that gambling-style odds and prediction markets had no place in an entertainment awards show.
One X user, known as Matt, posted, “The Golden Globes incorporating polymarket betting ON SCREEN is genuinely disgusting and we need to push back on these pocket casinos at every opportunity.” Matt’s viewpoint seemed to be much more common on X than those supporting Polymarket’s presence during the ceremony.
Josh Billinson, Senior Social Media Editor at Semafor, posted on X, “‘The Golden Globes Best Podcast odds presented by Polymarket’ is a new low for this humiliating awards show.” One user replied to his post saying, “Yeah, them validating Polymarket makes me side eye this whole show.”
In another post on X, Rachel Karten wrote, “Polymarket predictions during the Golden Globes. Everything is gambling.” A Polymarket-affiliated user pushed back, saying they didn’t see the problem with the odds being displayed during the broadcast, comparing them to Rotten Tomatoes, saying if those scores “…are fine, Polymarket odds are just honesty with math.”
For many, at least on X, what it comes down to is betting becoming too big a part of their television viewing experience, which is exactly what many of them don’t want. Like sportsbooks, it appears that prediction markets are moving from the margins of television to the mainstream. We’ve already seen that with recent partnerships between these companies and major news outlets, including Polymarket’s deal with the Wall Street Journal and Kalshi’s partnerships with CNN and CNBC.
While many viewers expressed their dislike of Polymarket’s betting odds being prominently displayed during the Golden Globes, if sportsbooks becoming a fixture of televised sports coverage is any indication, this trend is likely to continue.
