Golden Globes Monopoly Battle
HFPA Sues Penske Media, Alleging Scheme to Monopolize Golden Globes and Hollywood Awards
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Key Points
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Disgorgement is among the remedies HFPA seeks, in addition to more than $150 million in damages, treble damages, injunctive relief, and rescission of sale-related agreements.
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The complaint identifies the For Your Consideration (FYC) advertising market as a sector the defendants allegedly aim to monopolize.
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HFPA is represented by Kasowitz Benson Torres; the suit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California.
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The filing includes a direct quote describing the alleged scheme as clandestine and aimed at destroying the HFPA and monopolizing the Hollywood trades, awards and advertising markets.
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The suit highlights the breadth of Penske Media's holdings by noting PMC owns or controls The Hollywood Reporter, Variety, Rolling Stone and other publications.
The Hollywood Foreign Press Association has filed a federal antitrust lawsuit against Penske Media Corporation, seeking more than $150 million in damages over what it calls an illegal scheme to seize control of the Golden Globes. Bloomberg Law reported the HFPA alleges Penske orchestrated a years-long plot to destroy the 80-year-old organization and monopolize Hollywood's awards, trade publications, and advertising markets.
The complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, describes the alleged plot as a "clandestine scheme," according to MLex. The HFPA is represented by Kasowitz Benson Torres and is seeking treble damages, injunctive relief, disgorgement, and rescission of agreements it says unlawfully handed over the Golden Globes.
How Penske Allegedly Engineered the Golden Globes Takeover
The HFPA says the scheme began around 2021. According to Bloomberg Law, Penske and investor Todd Boehly used Penske-controlled trade publications to push an industry boycott of the HFPA. The pressure campaign was designed to weaken the organization and force it to sell. Boehly allegedly served as interim HFPA CEO during the period when the Golden Globes were acquired by Eldridge Industries and Penske Media.
The Golden Globes' assets were ultimately acquired by Dick Clark Productions and Eldridge Industries in 2023. The HFPA then transitioned its charitable work to the Golden Globe Foundation. The suit claims this entire process was corrupt from the start — a coordinated power grab dressed up as a rescue.
Penske's Media Empire at the Center of Monopoly Claims
The lawsuit zeroes in on Penske Media's massive reach in entertainment media. PMC owns or controls The Hollywood Reporter, Variety, and Rolling Stone, among other outlets. The HFPA argues that controlling both the trade press and the Golden Globes gives Penske an illegal grip on how Hollywood awards are covered and who profits from them, according to MLex.
The complaint specifically names the For Your Consideration advertising market as a target. FYC ads are the campaigns studios and streamers run to influence awards voters. Controlling both the awards and the publications where those ads run would give Penske enormous leverage over an entire segment of Hollywood spending, the HFPA alleges.
$150 Million Demand and What the HFPA Wants Back
The HFPA is asking for a lot more than money. Beyond the $150 million base damages claim, it wants treble damages — meaning the court could triple that figure under antitrust law. It also wants the sale agreements rescinded, which would effectively mean clawing back control of the Golden Globes brand itself, according to ArchyNetys.
Disgorgement is also on the table. That remedy would force the defendants to hand over any profits made from the alleged scheme. The HFPA is framing this as a fight for its independence and for the value it built over eight decades. Penske Media has not issued a public comment in response to the filing.
A Clandestine Plot, in the HFPA's Own Words
The lawsuit does not mince words. The complaint directly describes the alleged effort as a "clandestine" operation aimed at "destroying the HFPA" and "monopolizing the Hollywood trades, awards and advertising markets," according to MLex. That language signals the HFPA intends to fight this as a broad antitrust case, not just a contract dispute.
The case puts a spotlight on how tightly concentrated power in Hollywood has become. A single company controlling the top trade publications, a major awards show, and the FYC ad market would represent an unusual level of influence over who wins awards — and who profits from the chase, Bloomberg Law noted.
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