Issues Ads Grow in Dominance Among Record Political Ad Spending, Per Viamedia Data

Leading Independent Provider of Ad-Sales Representation to Cable TV Systems Sees Growth in Issues-Related Spending to 63% of Total vs. 47% in Prior Cycles

Viamedia Poised to Meet or Exceed Prior Political-Ad Records Despite Impact of Cord-Cutting on Cable Advertising

Viamedia, the leading fully-integrated cross-media local advertising company, said it sees not only continued record-level midterm political advertising – despite industrywide decreases in cable TV subscribers – but particular growth in spending it categorizes as Issues advertising. This category encompasses primarily political action committee (PAC) spending directed at ballot initiatives, referendums and on behalf of candidates.

Through August, this spending accounts for fully 63% of all 2022 midterm political spending handled by Viamedia, vs. 47% in both 2020 and 2018. The next largest category in Viamedia’s 2022 political spending lineup is by U.S. Senate campaigns, at 12%, followed by gubernatorial campaigns at 11%. The data is based on political advertising purchased on more than 60 multichannel video programming distributors (MVPDs) of various sizes in more than 70 markets.

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In April Viamedia announced triple- and even quadruple-digit growth in spending in political “battleground” states served by the company’s clients.

The company’s year-to-date total political advertising revenue already exceeds by 11% its 2018 midterms year-to-date total revenue and by 2% its 2020 presidential year-to-date revenue, which was bolstered by heavy spending for Bloomberg’s candidacy. Viamedia’s year-to-date advertising revenue from digital-video and connected TV spending already exceeds 61% of the 2018 midterms total revenue and 38% of the 2020 presidential-year revenue in those categories. The trends suggest Viamedia is poised to meet if not surpass all company political-advertising records across platforms in 2022.

“Thanks to a re-vamped political advertising team, including our outstanding partners at Ampersand as well as a growing local sales team, we are able to achieve these results in the face of cord cutting,” said David Solomon, President & CEO at Viamedia. “This is due in part to our strong growth in connected TV advertising as well as to the still-powerful draw of the television screen for impactful and results-driven political messaging.”

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