Political advertising in the 2024 midterms is shattering records, with $11.6 billion projected by Election Day. Despite advertisers shifting to digital platforms, 48% of political spend — $5.6 billion — flows to broadcast TV, matching the 2024 presidential cycle’s share. S&P Global forecasts broadcast TV ad revenue 15% higher than 2022, with political ads hitting a record 16.3% of total broadcast revenue for a nonpresidential year.
Strategists cite "muscle memory" and the need to match opponents. Danielle Butterfield of Priorities USA notes both parties overspend on broadcast. Gregg Siegel of Sinclair Broadcast Group emphasizes local anchors’ community trust. Major owners Sinclair, Nexstar Media Group, Gray Media, Tegna and E.W. Scripps Company benefit.
Texas exemplifies the blitz: over $500 million across all 20 media markets. In the Senate race, $220 million went to broadcast ads by Oct. 28, mostly from Ken Paxton allies backed by Elon Musk. Yet TV’s overall ad share shrinks — eMarketer projects 10% of U.S. ad spend in 2025, down from 15% in 2024.
Source: New York Times Business · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing