Coinciding with The Hollywood Reporter’s Creators A-List issue and event, THR will — for the first time ever — produce a dedicated Podcast Roundtable featuring top contenders for the newly introduced best podcast category at the Golden Globes.
The announcement fittingly debuts on International Podcast Day, marking the medium’s growing global impact.
The addition of podcasters to THR’s prestigious Roundtable lineup spotlights the voices driving today’s audio renaissance and contemporary entertainment trends bringing podcasting into the heart of the awards conversation.
“We are thrilled to launch The Hollywood Reporter’s inaugural Podcast Roundtable in partnership with Spotify, shining a spotlight on the creative forces driving today’s most compelling storytelling — an essential and rapidly growing frontier in entertainment,” said THR editor-in-chief Maer Roshan, “and we’re deeply grateful to Spotify for helping us elevate this important conversation.”
Spotify has become home to millions of shows and creators. Today, there are nearly 7 million podcasts on the platform, and more than 1 billion people have pressed play, making podcasts a natural part of daily life for a global audience.
“At Spotify, we’ve long believed that podcasts are shaping the future of storytelling and culture. The Golden Globes’ new category is a historic acknowledgment of the creators building a global community through both audio and video, and it’s why we’re partnering with The Hollywood Reporter to launch the first Podcast Roundtable. Together, we’re spotlighting the extraordinary range of voices in this space and celebrating the power of podcasts alongside the most influential achievements in entertainment,” said Roman Wasenmüller, global head of podcast business at Spotify.
The Golden Globes announced earlier this year that it would be adding a new category to its awards slate, honoring the best podcast of the year. The new category, debuting as part of the 83rd annual event on Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, is a landmark inclusion for the Golden Globes recognizing the extraordinary and diverse talents in podcasting.
The Hollywood Reporter’s full Podcast Roundtable will air in November on THR’s platforms, and for the first time on Spotify, bringing this high-profile conversation directly to fans worldwide.