You bailed on TV. But politicians are still spending all their money there.
Despite the shift of audiences toward digital platforms, political campaigns continue to allocate the majority of their advertising budgets to traditional broadcast and cable television. Political consultants suggest this is driven by industry inertia and the need to maintain perceived legitimacy among other political operatives.
Why it matters
It explains the disconnect between modern media consumption habits and the multi-billion dollar political advertising industry.
Elijah Nouvelage/Bloomberg via Getty Images; Sebastián Vivallo Oñate/Agencia Makro/Getty Images; Gary Miller/Getty Images; Adam Gray/Bloomberg via Getty Images; BI Audiences have been leaving TV for the internet for a very long time. Most advertisers have figured that out some time ago. But not political advertisers: They still spend the majority of their money on TV. Political consultant Rob Flaherty explains why. If you ask pundits, 2024 was the Podcast Election (which also means it was the YouTube Election ). And maybe 2026 is the Influencer Election . One thing the chattering class won't call it is the Television Election — because everyone knows everyone has stopped watching TV. Except that's not how political campaigns are run, at all. Even in 2026, more than 60% of the estimated $11.6 billion spent in this election cycle will go to good ol' fashioned broadcast and cable TV.
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