More and More Money
We already expected the 2026 election cycle to set new records for ad spending…but a new estimate suggests it will be even more than previously thought.
The ad-tracking firm AdImpact assesses anticipated spending in various categories, including political. Last fall, we told you at AdImpact expected election spending to be $10.8 billion; they’ve now upped that estimate, to $11.6 billion by Election Day—a pretty hefty increase.
It used to be that you compared presidential election years with one another, and midterm election years with one another…with the midterm years typically lower than the presidential years. Apparently not this year.
This election cycle is expected to be the most expensive on record, with total spending climbing 4 percent compared to the 2024 presidential election cycle. AdImpact’s report indicates that there were multiple record-breaking primary races, and early reservations of ad spots for the fall are showing growth, as well.
Of the $11.6 billion, the biggest share is expected to go to over-the-air broadcast television, with $5.6 billion of the total going there despite the “cord-cutting” that many folks are doing. Another $1.4 billion will be spent on cable TV channels, and $88 million more on satellite TV. Connected TV—or CTV—is expected to outpace cable and satellite combined, at $2.6 billion; CTV is TV that uses the internet to stream on your smart TV. Digital spending is up 9 percent over previous projections, accounting for $1.6 billion of the whole.
For what it’s worth, over-the-air radio is expected to get $273 million in political ad spending…that’s roughly the same share of the whole as in the past, but given the overall increased spending, it means radio stations will see more actual dollars than in the past…despite federal rules meaning that stations have to charge the lowest rate possible for political ads.
As the saying goes, follow the money. And in this case…there’s plenty to follow.
