Kalshi Lands CNN as Official Prediction Market Partner Following $1B Mega-Round
A billion-dollar bet just changed the game for mainstream prediction markets.
### The New Face of Forecasting
Forget pundits and polls. A seismic shift is underway in how major networks might gauge public sentiment on everything from elections to economic policy. The traditional playbook—relying on expert panels and volatile polling data—just got a formidable, crowd-sourced challenger.
### The Mechanics of the Mainstream Move
The partnership signals a bold institutional pivot. It’s not about replacing journalism but augmenting it with a real-time, money-where-your-mouth-is metric of collective intelligence. The model is simple: let people stake capital on outcomes, and the aggregated bets often reveal sharper insights than any single analyst could muster. It turns viewer engagement into a live data feed, bypassing the lag of traditional research.
### Why This Cuts Through the Noise
In a media landscape saturated with opinion, a prediction market offers a brutally efficient signal. It filters out hot air—after all, nothing focuses the mind like the potential to lose real money. For a network, it’s a dual win: a novel engagement tool and a potential hedge against being caught flat-footed by surprise events. It brings the wisdom—and occasional folly—of the crowd directly into the newsroom.
### The Bottom Line
This isn't just a content deal; it's a credibility play. By aligning with a regulated platform, a major network isn't just dabbling in a fringe idea—it's lending its brand to legitimize an entire asset class for the masses. It suggests a future where the evening news might quote prediction market odds alongside stock tickers. One cynical finance veteran might note: finally, a market where being wrong has an immediate, personal cost—unlike most economic forecasts.
The era of speculative news is officially here. The question is no longer if events will happen, but at what price the crowd is willing to bet on them.
CNN to Launch Kalshi-Powered Live Prediction Ticker
The network will also introduce a live, Kalshi-powered ticker during coverage segments that use market data.
The integration will be overseen by CNN Chief Data Analyst Harry Enten, whose work focuses on applying data-driven insights to political and social reporting.
Kalshi said the partnership is designed to provide viewers with clearer signals on emerging trends by showing how markets are reacting in real time.
The announcement comes as Kalshi confirms a $1 billion Series E funding round led by crypto-focused investment firm Paradigm, with participation from Sequoia Capital, Andreessen Horowitz, and ARK Invest.
The round more than doubles Kalshi’s previous $5 billion valuation from an October raise.
Kalshi chief executive Tarek Mansour said markets are becoming a new way to measure public expectations.
“Kalshi is replacing debate and opinion with markets and accuracy,” he said, adding that users increasingly want information reflected through price action rather than speculation.
Kalshi raised $1B at an $11B valuation.
A decade ago, only a few thousand people knew what a prediction market was.
Eighteen months ago, most prediction markets were banned – until we overcame the government to set them free.
Over the past seven years, our community has opened… pic.twitter.com/hGDkYxkSlh
Kalshi Hits Record $4.5B Monthly Volume
The funding follows a surge in activity across prediction platforms. According to Token Terminal data cited by the company, Kalshi posted record trading volume of $4.54 billion in November, beating October’s $4.49 billion.
Kalshi said weekly volumes are now exceeding $1 billion, representing growth of more than 1,000% since 2024.
Its closest competitor, Polymarket, also recorded a strong November, hitting a monthly total of $3.76 billion after crossing $3 billion in October.
Polymarket CEO Shayne Coplan recently said prediction markets are among the most reliable indicators for forecasting real-world outcomes.
As reported, Mike Novogratz’s Galaxy Digital is in talks with Polymarket and Kalshi about becoming a liquidity provider, as on-chain betting on real-world events draws more attention from both retail traders and Wall Street.
Galaxy, which has built its brand around providing crypto infrastructure and services to institutional clients, would act as a market-maker on the platforms, posting regular bids and offers to deepen trading.
Meanwhile, Kalshi is currently facing a nationwide class action lawsuit alleging the platform operates like an unlicensed sportsbook and misrepresents pricing advantages versus traditional betting markets. The company has not admitted wrongdoing.
