Golden Globes to present inaugural best podcast award as Netflix streams Bill Simmons

The Golden Globes will recognize a best podcast for the first time on Sunday, and Netflix will livestream an episode of The Bill Simmons Podcast that night. Six nominees for the Globes’ inaugural podcast award include SiriusXM’s "SmartLess," "Call Her Daddy," "The Mel Robbins Show," Spotify’s "Good Hang with Amy Poehler," NPR’s "Up First" and Amazon’s "Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard." Industry figures quoted in the article said podcasts have become more like online talk shows, hosts are acting as moguls, and the medium is now an estimated $7.3 billion industry; Scott Greenstein of SiriusXM called the new category "another sign that the industry is ready to recognize the medium on the same playing field as film and TV." Bill Simmons said the next phase will be an "arms race" to make podcasts look good.

The rollout has drawn controversy. The Globes are co-owned by Jay Penske, who also owns Luminate, the company that released a list of 25 eligible podcasts using a "proprietary" methodology that included platform audience numbers, estimated ad and subscription revenue, and chart placements.

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Culture, Golden Globes, Bill Simmons, Netflix, Spotify, Siriusxm