Kalshi Strikes Exclusive CNBC Deal After Landing CNN Partnership and $1 Billion Funding

The moves come as the company closed a massive $1 billion funding round, doubling its valuation to $11 billion.

The CNBC partnership marks another milestone for prediction markets entering mainstream financial media. Under the multi-year agreement, CNBC will integrate Kalshi’s real-time prediction data across its television, digital, and subscription platforms beginning in 2026.

CNBC Integration Brings Prediction Data to Financial News

The CNBC deal represents the first time a major financial news network has exclusively partnered with a prediction market platform. CNBC will feature Kalshi’s data in popular programs like “Squawk Box” and “Fast Money,” with a dedicated ticker showing live market probabilities alongside regular programming.

“Prediction markets are rapidly shaping how investors and business leaders think about important events,” said KC Sullivan, CNBC President, in announcing the partnership. The deal also includes Kalshi launching a dedicated CNBC page on its platform featuring markets selected by the news network.

Source: @kalshi

The partnership was announced during Versant’s investor day presentations. Versant Media Group, which operates CNBC, is being spun off from Comcast and is set to complete its separation in early 2026.

CNN Partnership Launched Days Earlier

Just two days before the CNBC announcement, Kalshi became CNN’s official prediction market partner. The CNN deal provides the network with real-time access to Kalshi’s market data through a direct API integration.

CNN chief data analyst Harry Enten will lead the integration, using Kalshi’s probability data in his on-air reporting across television and the network’s streaming service. Unlike typical licensing deals, CNN is not paying for Kalshi’s data, but the partnership includes exclusivity provisions preventing CNN from working with competing prediction market platforms.

The collaboration allows CNN journalists to access live probability data for politics, economics, and cultural events, moving beyond traditional reporting of past events to include market-driven forecasts of future outcomes.

Record-Breaking $1 Billion Funding Round

Kalshi’s media partnerships coincide with the completion of a massive Series E funding round. The company raised $1 billion led by crypto-focused investment firm Paradigm, with participation from Sequoia Capital, Andreessen Horowitz, and ARK Invest.

The funding more than doubles Kalshi’s valuation from $5 billion in October to $11 billion today. The company has experienced extraordinary growth throughout 2025, previously valued at $2 billion earlier in the year.

“The world of finance depends on real-world outcomes; Kalshi predicts those outcomes,” said Tarek Mansour, CEO of Kalshi. “Together with CNBC, we’ll bring accurate, market-driven predictions to financial reporting. It’s the next evolution: moving from data about what’s happening now, to real-time forecasts about what’s happening next.”

The company plans to use the funding to onboard tens of millions of new users and expand its market offerings nationwide.

Trading Volume Surge Drives Growth

Kalshi’s rapid valuation increase reflects explosive growth in trading activity. The platform now processes over $1 billion in weekly trading volume, representing growth of more than 1,000% since 2024. In November 2025, Kalshi recorded $4.54 billion in trading volume according to Token Terminal data, beating October’s $4.49 billion.

The company has emerged as the dominant player in the US prediction market space, capturing approximately 62% of total prediction market volume compared to competitor Polymarket’s 37% market share.

Sports betting has become Kalshi’s primary driver, with nearly 90% of recent trading volume coming from sports-related contracts. The shift toward sports has largely fueled the company’s dramatic valuation increases throughout 2025.

Mainstream Media Adoption Accelerates

The CNN and CNBC partnerships signal prediction markets moving from niche financial products to mainstream information sources. Other major platforms are following suit, with Google Finance recently announcing it will integrate prediction market data from both Kalshi and Polymarket into its search results.

Traditional financial institutions are also taking notice. Galaxy Digital is reportedly in discussions with both Kalshi and Polymarket about becoming liquidity providers, which would bring Wall Street market-making expertise to the prediction market space.

The National Hockey League became the first major professional sports league to sign licensing agreements with prediction market platforms, partnering with both Kalshi and Polymarket for official data integration.

The Bottom Line

Kalshi’s rapid expansion into mainstream media represents a turning point for prediction markets in America. The company has successfully positioned itself as the regulated, trusted platform for institutions seeking market-driven insights. With $1 billion in fresh funding and partnerships with two of the nation’s most influential news networks, Kalshi is transforming how Americans consume information about future events. The question now is whether prediction market data will become as common as stock tickers and weather forecasts in daily news coverage.