Kalshi has reportedly struck its most significant media partnership to date, agreeing to a deal with CNN that will see the prediction market’s odds included on the network’s television broadcasts and social media.
Axios reported Tuesday that CNN will have access to Kalshi API data, allowing it to broadcast odds that change in real time. It added that the Kalshi markets that will be featured will cover “politics, news, culture, and weather.” Sports, the largest contract category for Kalshi in terms of trading volume, were not mentioned.
The report notes that CNN will not be paying Kalshi in order to license its data. It did not say whether Kalshi would be paying CNN for the promotion. The deal is exclusive on CNN’s end, meaning it cannot partner with another prediction market.
Kalshi co-founder Tarek Mansour told Axios the deal would allow CNN to more accurately report on possible future events, instead of simply reporting on events that had just happened.
“CNN is renowned for accurate, fact-based journalism and analysis that helps audiences understand what’s happening,” CNN SVP of Strategic Partnerships and Business Development Sam Felix said. “By partnering with Kalshi to showcase prediction market data in our programming, CNN journalists will have a fresh, data-based angle from which to explore and better understand the world around us.”
CNN Chief Data Analyst Harry Enten had previously featured Kalshi odds on his segments. Axios says Enten will “champion” the partnership.
Kalshi media partnerships
Kalshi has worked to have its odds featured more prominently in media, particularly financial media, of late. It struck a partnership Google Finance last month. That deal was not exclusive, with Polymarket also securing a similar partnership. In October, Kalshi odds were integrated into Bloomberg terminals.
CNN is the first major news network, or television station of any kind, to announce a partnership with a prediction market. Other media outlets looking to get involved in the space include Time magazine, which is partnering with a company called Galactic to launch a Time-branded prediction market, and Yahoo Finance, which promotes Polymarket’s odds.
The partnership comes after Kalshi Tuesday confirmed it had raised $1 billion at an $11 billion valuation in a funding round led by existing investor Paradigm. The fundraise had previously been reported by TechCrunch last month. Those funds could potentially allow Kalshi to sign more media partners, or otherwise find ways to reach more customers.
