WASHINGTON—As political strategists prepare for the 2026 and 2028 U.S. elections, a new study highlights some of the trends, particularly the growth of CTV political advertising and programmatic advertising, that will be reshaping political advertising in the next few years.
In the study, Basis Technologies provides data showing the continued growth of CTV and programmatic advertising in political campaigns during the 2024 elections.
The study found that among digital devices, CTV increased its programmatic ad share of impressions to 24% (up from 11% in 2022) and share of spend to 50% (up from 30% in 2022). In programmatic buying, CTV now garners the most digital ad spend over mobile, desktop or tablet during the elections.
“The collision of programmatic and CTV has transformed elections advertising. The trend that started to show life two cycles ago is now a regular part of the media plan for candidates, campaigns, PACs, and other organizations looking to reach and influence voters,” said Jaime Vasil, group VP of candidates and causes, Basis Technologies. “We expect more evolution in future cycles around buying automation, inventory curation and consolidation, and measurement. Furthermore, techniques to reach voters on digital devices are poised to improve, setting the stage for significant use of audience data in the next election.”
The data was compiled from more than 1400 advertisers for state, local and national races managing digital ad buying via Basis’ software platform. These political and advocacy advertisers encompassed millions of dollars in ad spend across display, video, native, search and social media. The report is available here.
‘US Elections Digital Advertising Trends’ is the fourth research report Basis has published following US elections. The report shows political digital strategies for:
- Connected TV and Video: Video is the dominant choice in ad formats with 76% ad spend share.
- Programmatic: Automated buying through demand-side platforms (DSPs) increased ad spend share to 56%, pushing down direct buying share to 30%.
- Pricing: In programmatic media, CPMs for political advertisers were below the election cycle average in the beginning half of 2024 and rose steadily beginning in July, and then grew sharply by October and November.
- Inventory Suppliers: The top suppliers in programmatic open bidding channels, by spend, were driven by CTV with LG, Yahoo, Paramount, Vizio and Gannett leading the way. Top private marketplace suppliers, by spend, were PubMatic, Magnite, Audigent, Index and Unruly.
- Curation: Four of the five most-used political-approved curated deals provided CTV inventory.
- Timing: Campaigns spent 48% of digital ad budgets in the last 30 days before Election Day, and 22% in the last 10 days – slight percentage declines from the previous election cycle.
- Impressions by State: Michigan and California garnered the most programmatic ad impressions, followed by Arizona, Pennsylvania, Ohio and Washington.
The researchers also stressed that Basis’ digital observations continue to show steady patterns in how political marketers spend. Its 2020 report showcased the rise in programmatic advertising and the awakening of CTV for elections. In 2022, it observed CTV gaining higher adoption and lifting direct spending because that was the primary tactic to buy it.
Looking forward the study noted that for special elections in 2025, and for the 2026 midterms, political advertisers should consider these factors for digital channels:
- CTV advertising is now offered through multiple paths such as open bidding, private marketplaces, direct deals and more. Although the choices and options may be complex, they are plentiful.
- Ad pricing will rise steeply during the last month of the election cycle. Favorable rates can be locked in when negotiated far in advance.
- Speed and agility matters. Arrange political-approved deals when aggregating inventory through select suppliers. Ensure that buying systems are collecting voter IDs lawfully. Automate creative approvals as much as possible.
The full report is available here.
