Kalshi, Polymarket Ink Media Deals Ahead of US Midterms

The mainstream media tie-ups mark a shift from treating prediction markets as a curiosity to embedding them in election coverage, with CNBC's customer-acquisition revenue share and minority equity stake showing the commercial alignment goes beyond sponsorship. The roughly $1.5 billion in election volume gives the platforms a credibility argument, but the decision by Fox and CNN to keep odds off live election-night broadcasts highlights the reputational caution still attached to this data. The open question is whether these arrangements become a durable feature of political coverage or remain a midterm-specific experiment.