Broadcast TV Leads 2025-26 Election Ad Forecast at $5.6 Billion

Broadcast television is projected to capture $5.6 billion, or 48%, of U.S. political ad spending in the 2025-26 election cycle, the largest allocation in a forecast totaling $11.6 billion.

Projected 2025–26 spending is $11.6 billion, above the $11.2 billion spent during 2023-24 and $8.9 billion during the 2021-22 midterm cycle. The current figure remains a projection for the full election cycle, rather than a final spending tally. The estimates cover several advertising channels, with broadcast receiving the largest single share.

Connected TV, or CTV, is projected to receive $2.7 billion, equal to 23% of the total, while digital platforms including Facebook, Google, Snapchat and X are assigned $1.6 billion. The forecast counts CTV and digital separately. It raised its CTV estimate from $2.5 billion, while the digital projection was revised upward by 9%. Broadcast television includes local stations and network affiliates; CTV advertising runs on internet-connected devices such as Apple TV or Roku.

That allocation differs from TV use in July 2026. During the measurement period from June 29 through July 26, streaming represented 49% of television use, versus 19.5% for broadcast and 18.7% for cable. Those figures track audience use, not election ad budgets, and do not show how much political advertising viewers saw. They describe separate measures rather than a direct comparison of dollars with audience share.

Broadcasters’ second-quarter 2026 results also show political advertising revenue rising. Nexstar Media Group reported $147 million in political advertising revenue for the quarter ended June 30, compared with $9 million in the second quarter of 2025. The comparison includes TEGNA, whose acquisition closed March 19, 2026. Political advertising revenue at Nexstar’s legacy broadcast units rose $75 million, while the acquisition contributed $331 million in total advertising revenue.

The E.W. Scripps Company reported a second-quarter record of $28 million in local-media political advertising revenue. On Aug. 6, 2026, it projected $225 million to $250 million in local political revenue for the full year.

Sinclair’s second-quarter political revenue was $59 million, 9% higher than in the second quarter of 2022. On Aug. 5, 2026, the company raised its 2026 political advertising revenue guidance to at least $375 million from at least $333 million. The guidance reflects the company’s forecast, not realized full-year revenue.