Connected TV: the solution to local spot TV preemptions during election season
“Your TV spots have been bumped” is something no advertiser likes to hear. Unfortunately, it’s extremely common during the U.S. election season when billions of dollars are being spent on political ads. Local linear TV spots can be preempted (or “bumped”) from their scheduled time during political season when political advertisers are given priority and the lowest rates. While preemptions are frustrating, the good news is that there are alternate media types, such as connected TV, for advertisers to leverage in order to reach their audience that don’t carry the same risks.
2024 political ad spending
U.S. political ad spend has been steadily increasing over the years, and the 2024 presidential election is expected to continue this trend. Spending is on track to surpass $12 billion this year, a 29% increase from the last presidential election in 2020. TV spending alone is estimated to be $7 billion (up 7% from 2020).
Political ad spend varies greatly by state, with battleground states such as Pennsylvania, Michigan, Arizona, Georgia, and Wisconsin often hit the hardest. Advertisers who typically buy local spot TV, especially in key swing states, should plan ahead for election season to avoid the negative effects of preemption.
Along with this increased political spending comes increased linear TV preemptions. The more political ads that flood the market and are given priority, the less linear TV space is left available for other advertisers. Because of this, it’s helpful to be clear with TV partners during election season and ask them to communicate any preempted spots immediately to ensure you can move those dollars to other relevant channels.
Connected TV: the solution to linear TV preemptions
Political ads may start to feel inescapable as the election nears, but thankfully, preemptions are avoidable! To combat the downfalls of a presidential election season, advertisers can take advantage of alternative channels to reach their target audience. A key channel for this is connected TV (CTV), which has more available inventory, greater flexibility, and more precise targeting than linear TV.
- Increased inventory: CTV ads are purchased differently than linear TV spots and inventory is more plentiful. Because of this, even as political spending increases on CTV, the channel is not affected by political spending in the same way that linear is, making it a reasonable alternative for preempted TV dollars. This creates space for brands to advertise on CTV and skip the hassle of linear during election season.
- Greater flexibility: CTV offers flexibility around the type of inventory purchased, and a well-rounded approach includes both live-streaming and on-demand inventory. While election season is a great time to test CTV, it’s more than just a temporary solution as viewing behavior shifts increasingly from broadcast & cable TV to streaming. Advertisers can take advantage of CTV year-round as a turnkey awareness option.
- Precise targeting: CTV can be purchased programmatically, which allows advertisers to precisely target their audience. Unlike linear TV, which relies on assumptions about the type of people watching certain programming at any given time, programmatic targeting allows advertisers to target exact consumer behaviors and demographics.
Because CTV is more flexible than linear TV, advertisers can make the jump as soon as they begin to feel the weight of election-season preemption, but due to CTV’s sophisticated targeting, it should be seen as much more than just a quick fix for election season. Interested in learning more about the CTV landscape? Check out our two-part guide (part one & part two)!
What this means for advertisers
Advertisers are all in the same boat heading into election season as political spending skyrockets, but thankfully no one is up the creek without a paddle. CTV offers advertisers a solution to local spot TV preemptions, and can provide continued value long past election season as streaming viewership outpaces linear.
