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.

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“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.”

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.

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

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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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