WASHINGTON —The presidential election has been a boom for TV ratings — capturing every move made by Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump — but a disaster for channels hoping to cash in on big money political ad spending.
Spending on TV ads has plummeted 60 percent this cycle, compared to 2012, a blow to TV broadcasters, according to Bloomberg Politics.
Only a slight $146 million has been spent since April; by contrast, in the same time period in the 2012 race, a whooping $373 million had been plunked.
The drop is largely caused by Donald Trump relying on free media coverage — and not spending a dime on political TV advertising until this week.
The Trump campaign began its first ad campaign, backed by a relatively modest $4.9 million. The Clinton campaign and its main super PAC, Priorities USA, have spent at least $104 million on TV advertising so far. Outside pro-Trump groups have spent at least $13.5 million up to this point. – READ MORE
