IRVINE, Calif.—Viant Technology Inc. has announced a new partnership with Ad Fontes Media, the news ratings data and technology company, that will make it the first and only DSP to enable news reliability-based targeting within news inventory on connected TVs.

The integration is designed to address the potential problems facing advertisers who are increasingly worried about associating their campaigns with news content that may upset some consumers in a highly polarized political environment. That dynamic has caused some to pull back from making buys with news outlets.

"Advertisers don't need to avoid news, but they do need better tools to navigate it," said Vanessa Otero, founder and CEO of Ad Fontes Media. "This partnership with Viant gives advertisers a consistent, data-driven way to evaluate content quality. And because our analysis can extend beyond the domain or app level to content as it goes live, advertisers gain a more granular way to target trusted news environments."

To address that issue, Viant and Ad Fontes pair premium inventory access with the content-level intelligence needed to activate it with confidence and precision.

In announcing the offering, Viant said that Ad Fontes Media has built its reputation helping major brands navigate news content with confidence.

"We use Ad Fontes Media to ensure our advertising reaches all audiences across the political spectrum because we make cars for everyone," said Shenan Reed, global chief media officer at General Motors. "Ad Fontes Media also helps ensure that those ads show up in reliable publications."

News audiences are among the most attentive and engaged in advertising, yet the category remains one of the most avoided.

Viant noted that brands pulling back are leaving measurable performance on the table: ads in news environments receive 20% more attention and drive 77% higher brand recall, according to a recent study from Teads and Lumen Research.

With 2026 on track to be the most expensive midterm cycle in U.S. history, the news environment has never been more crowded, more contested, or more consequential for brands trying to navigate it.

By integrating Ad Fontes Media's Reliability and Bias framework directly into the Viant advertising platform, advertisers can now identify and activate against trusted news programming at the content level, connecting that investment directly to real household-level outcomes.

Brands leveraging Ad Fontes' high-quality inventory, which excludes low-quality news through AI-powered segments, typically achieve approximately 60% lower Cost Per Acquisition and 50%+ higher conversion rates within contextually aligned environments.

The partnership directly addresses a persistent problem in programmatic advertising. Brands have long been forced to navigate a market cluttered with made-for-advertising sites, downstream resold inventory, and low-quality content mislabeled as news, leading many to pull back from the category entirely and leaving high-quality, trusted news environments underutilized and underpriced.

"Through Viant's partnership with Ad Fontes, advertisers can reach the most relevant audiences while ensuring their ads appear in trusted, high-quality news environments. This puts premium supply back to work at scale. For brands that have been sitting on the sidelines of news, the calculus has changed," said Richie Hyden, senior vice president of publisher solutions at Viant.

The integration is now available within the Viant ad platform, with activation spanning live news programming across leading CTV publishers.

More information is available at viantinc.com.

DSPolitical, a leading digital advertising company that works with Democrats, and FreeWheel have announced that they will be working together on political advertising in the runup to the mid-term elections.

As part of the alliance, the two company are providing tools that give campaigns the ability to activate first-party voter data through FreeWheel Buyer Cloud and Identity Network to reach validated voters more precisely and at scale across connected TV (CTV) ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.

The partnership comes at a time when campaigns are increasingly prioritizing CTV for its ability to combine the impact of television with the precision of digital targeting.

During the 2024 cycle, as campaigns faced tighter timelines, shifting priorities, and unprecedented competition for voter attention, DSPolitical leveraged this approach to deliver measurable results across premium CTV environments. As the first political firm to onboard its voter data through the FreeWheel Identity Network, DSPolitical enabled campaigns to activate deterministic, first-party audiences seamlessly across planning, activation and measurement.

DSPolitical reported that its work with Freewheel in 2024 led to:

• 18x higher match performance on incoming premium CTV bid requests, compared with other leading identity providers.
• Over 30% faster audience onboarding through Buyer Cloud, compared with other leading platforms.

The two companies said that those gains demonstrate not only incremental improvement, but DSPolitical’s ability to eliminate common sources of delay and data degradation as its clients prepare for midterms, where speed, accuracy, and adaptability could help decide who wins and who loses.

“The difference between winning and losing in 2026 could come down to a handful of persuadable voters in a few key districts,” said Mark Jablonowski, CEO of DSPolitical. “When the stakes are this high, Democrats can’t risk close calls. Campaigns need every possible advantage, and that means being able to activate high-quality voter data quickly and at scale across CTV to reach and persuade the exact right voters. That is exactly what our first-of-its-kind partnership with FreeWheel enables.”

DSPolitical’s data, speed, and precision are backed by the deterministic identity foundation of the FreeWheel Identity Network and Comcast’s national footprint. By anchoring identity at the household level—even as signals change—DSPolitical can maintain accuracy, manage frequency, and avoid wasted impressions across premium CTV.

“DSPolitical’s success demonstrates what’s possible when political advertisers can activate first-party voter data through a cross-device identity framework built specifically for television,” said Eric Davis, head of independent and political, programmatic demand, FreeWheel. “Unlike probabilistic only approaches, FreeWheel’s identity framework enables higher-fidelity audience matching, consistent reach across streaming environments, and the confidence to activate voter data reliably at scale. Now, political buyers have the performance and control they need as we look ahead to future election cycles.”

As political advertisers prepare for the 2026 midterms, DSPolitical and FreeWheel continue to demonstrate how deterministic identity, access to premium inventory, and streamlined activation can help campaigns move faster, waste less, and reach voters with confidence when it matters most.

NEW YORK and WASHINGTON—DirecTV Advertising has launched DirecTV Elect, a new digital platform powered by AI that is specifically designed for political advertisers looking to reach connected TV (CTV) audiences.

The launch comes at a time when Political ad spending is set to reach $10.8 billion (up more than 20% from 2022) in the 2026, making this the most expensive midterm election cycle in history, according to AdImpact's Political Projections Report 2025-2026.

The vast majority of that spend, about 83%, is expected to be driven by TV, including broadcast, cable, and CTV, with CTV growth taking center stage as the fastest growing media type at $2.5 billion.

DirecTV Elect offers CTV at scale, with inventory across DirecTV and national cable networks, reaching an audience of over 130M monthly active users nationwide. This provides political advertisers and advocacy groups with seamless access to a wide variety of programming including news, live sports, and entertainment through a platform built to deliver political messages on TV.

"AI is redefining how political campaigns discover and engage with voters, helping unlock deeper insights and more effective connections," said Amy Leifer, chief advertising sales officer at DirecTV Advertising. "When that intelligence is complemented by the reach and credibility of television, voters gain greater clarity and confidence in what they see, while campaigns can achieve stronger results. DirecTV Elect brings these strengths together — combining the trust of television, the precision and flexibility of digital, and the intelligence of DirecTV Advantage, all fueled by AI.

More specifically, DirecTV Elect delivers AI-driven insights into voter sentiment and campaign issues powered by DirecTV Advantage, the company's data solutions suite that allows political advertisers to turn those insights into actionable CTV media strategies.

DirecTV Elect uses AI to analyze millions of signals from Large Language Model (LLM) responses, news, social media, donation patterns and recent voting behaviors to help political campaigns know where to focus, what to say, and ultimately, who to reach. From national messaging to neighborhood insights with geo-targeting by zip, district, and state, the company said that DirecTV Elect offers unprecedented access to the voters.

"Campaigns need to meet voters wherever they are, across linear, streaming, and digital environments," said Drew Groner, senior vice president, head of sales and marketing for DirecTV Advertising. "Political ad buyers want to find new ways to reach undecided voters, voters in the battleground states and those in states with the highest projected spend. What is particularly interesting this year is that they're looking to use live sports programming to break through to those audiences. DirecTV Elect can now give campaigns access to premium live sports inventory on streaming at scale, along with the insights to help them deliver their message where and when it needs to be heard."

DirecTV also stressed that media budgets and ad dollars continue to shift to CTV as more viewers turn to streaming.

Nielsen's monthly report of The Gauge, recently reported that streaming continued to dominate TV usage and owned 45.2% of total watch-time in September.

DirecTV Advertising also conducted a survey in September of over 1000 U.S. adults about their views on political advertising, and three in five (61%) respondents said that they trust political ads on TV – a +56% advantage over social media.

Political ads seen on TV are also viewed as being the most accurate and the most informative, with those surveyed saying that they pay more attention to political ads on TV than in any other medium. More than half of all respondents (52%) also said they find political ads seen within TV or streaming content to be most persuasive (compared to just 35% for sponsored social media posts), which is a key factor that can help move the needle for campaigns looking to influence undecided voters.

IRVING, Texas—Nexstar Media Group has appointed Samantha Osborne Reynolds vice president of political sales. In the new role, Osborne Reynolds is responsible for building and managing the company’s newly created national political sales division, creating and developing go-to-market political advertising strategies across all of Nexstar’s platforms, and generating growth in linear, digital, and connected TV political revenues. She will be based in Washington, D.C., and report to Jon Camera, Nexstar’s senior vice president for advertising sales.

“Sam is a strategic thinker, deeply experienced, and the perfect person to lead our new political advertising sales division,” said Camera. “Her dynamic background and innovative approach will help us to sharpen our focus on national, digital, and connected TV political advertising sales and enable us to provide customized solutions to meet the changing needs of our political clients. Nexstar has a history of success in driving results through political advertising, and I am confident this new political sales division will thrive under Sam’s leadership.”

Osborne Reynolds brings more than 17 years of experience in political strategy and advertising, communication, and media sales to her new role at Nexstar. She served most recently as vice president, political, advocacy and automation for the E.W. Scripps Company (Scripps), where she oversaw political and national sales for the company’s local media businesses and managed Scripps’ Washington D.C., sales office. She also was responsible for the company’s political sales strategy and marketing plan and launched the connected TV political sales team. Ms. Osborne Reynolds joined Scripps in 2019 as senior director of national sales.

During the course of her career, Osborne Reynolds has held a variety of leadership positions of increasing responsibility in political advertising sales and marketing, public affairs, strategic communications, and public relations. She also played important roles with several political campaigns, serving as National Deputy Digital Field Director for Romney for President in 2012, and joining the leadership team of the Republican National Committee where she rose to the position of Chief Digital Officer in 2017.

“Nexstar has an unmatched collection of television and digital assets, the ability to reach every TV household in the country, and unique product offerings that are second-to-none,” said Osborne Reynolds. “My years of experience have prepared me well and I am looking forward to building a talented, innovative, and aggressive political sales team, creating new ways of approaching political advertising, and expanding upon Nexstar’s legacy of success. We will deliver impactful results for local, regional and national candidates and campaigns, and I look forward to making the most out of this new opportunity.”

A new study from AdImpact indicates that vast sums are flowing into swing-state broadcasters as more than $1.8 billion has been spent on political ads in the presidential races between Super Tuesday on March 5 and election day Nov. 5.

Overall, the study found that $2.6 billion had been spent on political ads since March 5 and overall spending was highest in Pennsylvania, with Democrats airing $261.9 million in ads and Republicans airing $232.4 million.

The data, which is based on AdImpact tracking 384 unique broadcast political ads that aired some 1.5 million times during the period, reinforces data from recent earnings reports from station groups, as Scripps reported record Q3 revenue based on record levels of political advertising, and a study from The Myers Report, which estimates U.S. political ad spending for the 2024 campaign will top $12 billion.

The $12 billion figure—a 33% increase over the 2019-2020 election campaign—is part of an overall estimate of $18.2 billion that will be spent on reported and unreported political marketing investments during this election cycle, according to the Myers Report.

The massive spending levels in swing states are particularly evident the data for the last 60 days.

The AdImpact study found in the last 60 days alone, Pennsylvania led among the swing states with $264 million spent by presidential candidates and the groups backing them, followed by Michigan ($151 million), Georgia ($137 million), North Carolina ($109 million) and Arizona ($91 million).

Since July 22, Democratic groups spent $1.37 billion overall on the presidential race, giving them a $171 million advantage over Republican groups, with the campaign of Vice President Kamala Harris campaign spending $646.3 million versus $358.8 million by the campaign of former Preasident Donald Trump.

AdImpact also found that digital spending for political ads since July 22 hit $420 million, making up 18% of total presidential-campaign spending. Outside of X (formerly Twitter), Democratic advertisers have held significant spending advantages across social media platforms, the researcher said.

With the 2024 general election season in its final weeks, political ad spending will likely reach $11-12 billion, a significant increase from the 2020 cycle. Historically, politics has heavily relied on video platforms, with about two-thirds of this year’s political ad budgets allocated to broadcast TV, cable TV, digital video, and CTV. However, the decline in linear TV viewership and the rise of streaming platforms are forcing political ad buyers to rethink traditional strategies. Meanwhile, political spending in OOH is at an all-time high and has doubled in the last decade.

Streaming helps offset the viewership declines of traditional video platforms, allowing political campaigns to target specific voter groups and key geographies. Despite high spending, reaching the right voters is increasingly complicated due to audience fragmentation. Declines in linear TV viewership necessitate more commercials to achieve the same audience levels as a few years ago, complicating the buying process for political ads. Radio also suffers from similar audience erosion and fragmentation.

'A Robust Alternative'
Emerging as one of the biggest stories of this political cycle is the growth of CTV, projected to surpass cable TV. Estimates indicate CTV ad spend could reach $1.5 to $1.75 billion, doubling from the 2020 cycle and growing 50-75% over the 2022 midterms. CTV offers a robust alternative but isn't without issues such as frequency problems and fraud. Some popular providers still don't accept political ads, and repeated commercial content can irritate viewers, reducing ad value.

A key challenge is making CTV ads more effective and reinforcing their messages. One answer lies in the strategic use of digital out-of-home (DOOH) advertising. Commercial advertisers have found that combining CTV and DOOH yields distinct benefits. Ad buyers sometimes purchase DOOH impressions within the CTV budget to avoid overexposure on CTV. Retail media outlets use geofencing with DOOH to reinforce in-store or digital messaging, defining the audience and total impressions clearly.

Political advertisers can benefit from similar strategies, targeting key voter segments through CTV and reinforcing messages with DOOH. This combination is also cost-effective, stretching ad budgets further. Since digital ad agencies place a substantial percentage of CTV ads in the political sphere, DOOH ads are accessible on programmatic platforms preferred by digital buyers.

Last Minute Changes
DOOH’s flexibility with creative content allows for frequent updates, a critical aspect in political campaigns. A recent Morning Consult study released by OAAA supports OOH as a valuable political ad platform, revealing that:

• 56% of likely voters trust political information in OOH ads to be truthful.
• 49% of likely voters exposed to OOH political ads find them personally influential.
• 45% agree OOH political ads inform them about candidates, and 44% say the ads inform them about policy issues.
• 26% say OOH political ads remind them of voting's importance, and 25% say they increase issue awareness.

The study also highlighted why voters find political OOH ads appealing:

• 34% appreciate that the ads don't interrupt their listening, reading, or viewing experiences, unlike most other political ads.
• 28% find the ads readily visible.
• 25% say the ads are easily shared on social media.
• 24% like that the ads are short form.

OOH billboards are viewed more favorably by US consumers than other forms of advertising, including video, audio, digital, online, and print. OOH advertising’s physical presence makes it more authentic and trustworthy, with messages that cannot be easily ignored or skipped.

DOOH and CTV, though distinct, complement each other well, amplifying the effectiveness of political campaigns. Here’s how they work synergistically:

• Audience Extension: Combining DOOH’s broad reach in physical locations with CTV’s targeted reach ensures comprehensive coverage without overextending the CTV budget.
• Enhanced Targeting and Retargeting: Geotargeting and behavioral retargeting create seamless ad experiences, increasing message retention among targeted voter groups.
• Cross-Platform Consistency: Consistent messaging across DOOH and CTV reinforces campaign messages, improving brand recall and recognition.
• Measurement and Analytics: Integrated analytics from both platforms provide a comprehensive understanding of campaign performance, refining strategies and interactions with key voter groups.
• Engagement and Interaction: Interactive elements like QR codes in ads enhance voter engagement, creating cohesive experiences across DOOH and CTV.
• Cost Efficiency: Sharing creative assets between DOOH and CTV saves costs and ensures unified messaging, optimizing media spend.

Example scenarios include promoting campaign rallies, voter registration drives, or other special events through both digital billboards and CTV ads in specific regions to increase awareness, attendance and participation. In a year of heightened importance, GOTV campaigns can leverage high-impact DOOH placements and CTV and/or social media ads to inform voters about election details.

As the political advertising landscape evolves, combining DOOH and CTV presents a powerful strategy to maximize reach, engagement, trust, and votes. With rising costs and audience fragmentation, integrating these platforms can efficiently reach and motivate voters, especially among Black, Hispanic, Gen Z, and Millennial demographics.

In conclusion, the synergy between DOOH and CTV creates a comprehensive and effective advertising strategy, making them the essential winning ticket for modern political campaigns aiming to reach the masses and key voter groups alike.

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The Federal Communications Commission has announced that it will move forward on a previously announced proposal to implement new requirements to disclose AI-created content in TV and radio ads.   

The plan drew immediate opposition from both Republican-appointed commissioners, commissioner Nathan Simington and commissioner Brendan Carr. 

The FCC said the proposal aims to increase transparency by having those who already have legal duties to file information about their TV and radio advertisements with the FCC to indicate if AI is being used and make on-air disclosure of AI use. It does not propose the prohibition of such content, only disclosing the use of AI within political ads, the FCC stressed.  

“Today the FCC takes a major step to guard against AI being used by bad actors to spread chaos and confusion in our elections.  We propose that political advertisements that run on television and radio should disclose whether AI is being used,” said chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel.  “There’s too much potential for AI to manipulate voices and images in political advertising to do nothing. If a candidate or issue campaign used AI to create an ad, the public has a right to know.”

In announcing the release of a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking that must still be adopted by the FCC before disclosure requirements could be implemented, the FCC stressed that artificial Intelligence has become powerful enough to mimic human voices and create life-like images. This year in the primary election in New Hampshire, thousands of voters got an AI-generated robocall impersonating President Biden that told them not to vote. This past summer, the campaign of Governor DeSantis was flagged for circulating fake AI-altered images of former President Trump.  Facing a rising tide of disinformation, roughly three-quarters of Americans say they are concerned about misleading AI-generated content, the FCC reported. 

The FCC also argued that Congress has granted the FCC authority regarding the political messages people see on television, hear over the radio, or receive over the phone.  Since the 1930s, the FCC has used this authority to require broadcasters to maintain a publicly available file for political ads.  This file has information about who bought a campaign ad, how much they paid for it, and when it ran. Over time Congress expanded these requirements to include ads that run on cable and satellite. These are also the policies that led to what are now familiar on-air disclosures so that every viewer and listener knows who is responsible for every ad. 

The FCC also stressed that the Federal Elections Commission is considering a separate rulemaking on AI, announcing this year that they expect to act in early summer.  In a recent letter to the FCC, the FEC’s Vice Chair wrote, “No one agency currently has the jurisdiction or the capacity to address every aspect of this large and complicated issue.” While the FEC can regulate AI use in online advertisements for federal candidates, the FCC can focus on the areas where the FEC is not able to act.  The FEC does not oversee television and radio stations.  Under the law, FEC authority over campaigns is limited to federal political candidates and does not extend to independent issue campaigns or state and local elections. 

Nearly half of states across the country have enacted laws to regulate the use of AI and deepfake technology in elections and most of these laws are bipartisan, the FCC also said. This FCC proposal would seek to bring uniformity and stability to this patchwork of state laws, seeking to bring greater transparency in our elections.

When Rosenworcel first announced that the FCC should consider proposals to disclose AI content in political ads, the idea quickly attacked by FCC Commissioner Carr as unworkable, beyond the agency’s authority and counter productive. 

Carr, who wrote a chapter in Project 2025 outlining plans for the FCC if Donald Trump is elected president, continued his opposition to the idea in a July 25 statement, saying it was part of a larger plan by the Democratic Party to regulate and limit political speech: “The Democratic National Committee (DNC) is now working to change the rules of the road in the run-up to the 2024 election. It has done so by calling on the administrative state to impose new controls on political speech before voters hit the ballot boxes this fall. The FCC proposal adopted today echoes that DNC-backed initiative and would impose new regulations on the use of AI-generated political speech at the eleventh hour. This push for new regulations comes on the heels of press reports that the DNC and Democrat candidates are `nervous about not keeping up with the GOP in embracing” artificial intelligence technologies in this election cycle.’”

Carr also argued that “Congress has not given the FCC the type of freewheeling authority over these issues that would be necessary to turn this plan into law.” 

He called the proposal “a recipe for chaos” because it would only apply to TV and regulatory ads because the FCC lacks the authority to regulate ads on the internet, social media and other digital platforms.”

The proposed rules, he added, are ill advised in the runup to a major election because it would mean that “For starters, the FCC is wading into an area rife with politicization. It is not difficult to see how partisan interests might weaponize the FCC’s rules during an election season.”

Nor, would it do much to solve the problem of political ads that confuse voters, he contended. 

“The FCC’s involvement can only amplify that confusion,” Carr wrote. “The FCC is legally powerless to adopt uniform rules in a technologically neutral fashion. Its legal authority claimed here extends only to legacy media—broadcast, cable, and satellite television—but not over-the-top content, like online streaming video and social media, where millions of Americans see political ads.  As a result, AI-generated political ads that run on traditional TV and radio will come with a government-mandated disclaimer but the exact same ad that runs on a streaming service or social media site would not.”

“I don’t see how this type of conflicting patchwork could end well,” Carr concluded. “Consumers don’t think about the content they consume through the lens of regulatory silos. They just view content on screens. Will they conclude that the absence of a government warning on an online ad means that the content must be real? And applying new regulations on the broadcasters the FCC regulates but not on their largely unregulated online competitors only exacerbates regulatory asymmetries.”  

WASHINGTON, D.C.—FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr has come out against a proposal by FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel that the FCC should require disclosure of AI-created content in political ads airing on TV and radio. 

“The FCC’s attempt to fundamentally alter the rules of the road for political speech just a short time before a national election is as misguided as it is unlawful,” Carr said in a statement. 

“There is no doubt that the increase in AI-generated political content presents complex questions, and there is bipartisan concern about the potential for misuse,” Carr said. “But none of this vests the FCC with the authority it claims here. Indeed, the Federal Election Commission is actively considering these types of issues, and legislators in Congress are as well. But Congress has not given the FCC the type of freewheeling authority over these issues that would be necessary to turn this plan into law.”

Carr also argued that the proposal for new FCC regulations “can only muddy the waters.  AI-generated political ads that run on broadcast TV will come with a government-mandated disclaimer but the exact same or similar ad that runs on a streaming service or social media site will not?  Consumers don’t think about the content they consume through the lens of regulatory silos. They just view content on screens. Will they conclude that the absence of a government warning on an online ad means that the content must be real?  I don’t see how this type of conflicting patchwork could end well. Unlike Congress, the FCC cannot adopt uniform rules.

“Indeed, the FCC can only tilt the playing field,” he added. “Applying new regulations to candidate ads and issue ads but not to other forms of political speech just means that the government will be favoring one set of speakers over another.  And applying new regulations on the broadcasters the FCC regulates but not on their largely unregulated online competitors only exacerbates regulatory asymmetries.  All of this confirms that the FCC is not the right entity to consider these issues.”

Carr also stressed that the proposal raises some thorny administrative issues. “What does it mean to have `AI-Generated Content’ in a political ad?” he noted. “Is it everything?  Is it nothing?  Lawyers will undoubtedly end up telling their clients to just go ahead and slap a prophylactic, government-mandated disclosure on all political ads going forward just to avoid liability.”

The Rosenworcel proposal, which has been circulated to other colleagues at the agency, specifically said it was not intended to ban or restrict the use of AI-content in ads. 

Carr argued, however, that “I am also concerned that it is part and parcel of a broader effort to control political speech. Is the government really worried that voters will find these ads misleading in the absence of a regulator’s guiding hand? Or is the government worried that voters might find these ads effective?  Imagine going after President Lyndon Johnson for his 1964 `Daisy Girl' ad because voters might think that the child actually died in a nuclear strike. The type of government intervention envisioned by this plan would only do more harm than good.” 

WASHINGTON, D.C.—As concerns grow about the potential impact of fake AI-generated photos and videos being used to influence elections, Federal Communications Commission Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel is proposing that the agency require that the public be informed when AI-generated content is aired in political ads on radio and TV. 

The agency stressed that the proposal does not call for any prohibition of such content, only the disclosure of any AI-generated content within political ads.

The FCC said that Rosenworcel has shared a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking with her colleagues at the agency that would initiate a proceeding that recognizes consumers’ right to know when AI tools are being used in the political ads they view.

If adopted, the FCC said that this proposal would increase transparency by:

• Seeking comment on whether to require an on-air disclosure and written disclosure in broadcasters’ political files when there is AI-generated content in political ads,
• Proposing to apply the disclosure rules to both candidate and issue advertisements, 
• Requesting comment on a specific definition of AI-generated content, and
• Proposing to apply the disclosure requirements to broadcasters and entities that engage in origination programming, including cable operators, satellite TV and radio providers and section 325(c) permittees.

"As artificial intelligence tools become more accessible, the Commission wants to make sure consumers are fully informed when the technology is used,” said chairwoman Rosenworcel.  “Today, I’ve shared with my colleagues a proposal that makes clear consumers have a right to know when AI tools are being used in the political ads they see, and I hope they swiftly act on this issue.”

In announcing the proposal the FCC said that the use of AI is expected to play a substantial role in the creation of political ads in 2024 and beyond, but the use of AI-generated content in political ads also creates a potential for providing deceptive information to voters, in particular, the potential use of “deep fakes” – altered images, videos, or audio recordings that depict people doing or saying things that did not actually do or say, or events that did not actually occur.

The FCC said that the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act provides the Commission with authority regarding political advertising. There is also a clear public interest obligation for Commission licensees, regulatees, and permittees to protect the public from false, misleading, or deceptive programming and to promote an informed public – and the proposed rules seek to achieve that goal, the agency said. 

If adopted, this proposal would launch a proceeding during which the Commission would take public comment on the proposed rules, which wouldn't take effect until the com

Ishan Mehta, Common Cause Media and Democracy program director applauded the idea of requiring disclosure of AI-generated content in political ads. 

"Americans expect and deserve to know whether the content they see on our public airwaves is real or AI-generated content – especially as the technology is increasingly being used to mislead voters," Mehta said. "This rulemaking is welcome news as the use of deceptive AI and deepfakes threaten our democracy and is already being used to erode trust in our institutions and our elections. We have seen the impact of AI in politics in the form of primary ads using AI voices and images, and in robocalls during the primary in New Hampshire."

Given those pressures, Mehta added that "we commend the FCC and Chair Rosenworcel for this work to require disclosures for AI-generated content in political ads. It is imperative that regulations around political advertising keep pace with the onward march of new and evolving technologies. We urge Congress and other agencies like the FEC (Federal Election Commission) to follow the FCC’s lead and take proactive steps to protect our democracy from very serious threat posed by AI. That is why we have previously filed comments with the FEC urging the agency to amend its regulation on `fraudulent misrepresentation' to include `deliberately false Artificial Intelligence-generated content in campaign ads or other communications.'”

Sinclair’s Q1 2024 financial report once again highlighted the growing importance of political advertising for broadcasters at a time when core TV advertising continues to be soft. 

As of May 1, the Sinclair reported that it has pre-booked $77 million in political advertising for the second half of the year through Election Day. This is more than three times the $21 million it had booked in the last presidential election cycle as of May 1, 2020 and much more than the $28 million as of May 1, 2022. 

In Q1 2024, Sinclair sold $24 million in political advertising as the company reported that it expects the 2024 election cycle to be "record-breaking" in terms of political ad spending. 

Political ads boosted ad revenue to $321 million in Q1, up 4% versus $309 million in the prior year period. But core advertising revenues, which exclude political revenues, were down 3% in the first quarter to $297 million versus $306 million in the prior year period.

During the earnings call, the company noted that it met or exceeded first quarter guidance on revenue, media expenses and adjusted EBITDA and that it settled all Diamond Sports Group, LLC (DSG) related outstanding litigation claims

The company also highlighted its progress with NextGen TV, including to the April launch of its its Broadspan datacasting platform to enable data distribution capability across all current Sinclair NextGen Broadcast (ATSC 3.0) markets where it serves as the host station. 

Sinclair also reported that to date, the company has launched NextGen Broadcast in 44 markets, including the recent launch of Portland, Maine. NextGen Broadcast is now available in 75% of the TV households in Sinclair’s licensed footprint.

“Sinclair delivered solid first quarter results, meeting guidance expectations in our local media segment and exceeding Adjusted EBITDA expectations at Tennis Channel in the quarter,” said its CEO Christopher Ripley. “Core advertising trends remain solid in most categories, with our effective yield management and sales training processes driving industry-leading core growth over the past several quarters. We have significant retransmission agreements renewing this year, of which we are 42% completed as of the beginning of May. We continue to expect a mid-single digit two-year growth in net retransmission revenues from 2023 to 2025."

In terms of NextGen TV Ripley said that in April "we also announced the launch of Broadspan, our NextGen data solutions platform, that will deliver a unified suite of products to the marketplace, and at the same time announced our first NextGen commercial partner, Edgio. The time for the NextGen data distribution opportunity is now. The broadcast data distribution model has many benefits, such as a more efficient distribution of mass-consumption data, improved customer experience, and lower cost of data delivery compared to traditional one-to-one wireless solutions. We are very excited to see what the future holds for NextGen over the coming quarters and years."

More specifically in terms of the Q1 results, total revenues increased 3% to $798 million versus $773 million in the prior year period and despite cord cutting distribution revenues of $436 million increased versus $426 million in the prior year period. Operating income of $42 million, including non-recurring transaction, implementation, legal, regulatory and other costs (“Adjustments”) of $6 million, increased versus an operating income of $21 million in the prior year period, which included Adjustments of $6 million. 

Net income attributable to the company was $23 million versus net income of $185 million in the prior year period. Excluding adjustments, the Company had net income of $27 million.

Adjusted EBITDA increased 13% to $136 million from $120 million in the prior year period.

NEW YORK—In the wake of a record-breaking year for midterm political advertising, new research from TVB suggests that the massive spending not only was a financial bonanza for stations in battleground states. It also found that candidates that devoted more resources to local broadcast TV advertising received the biggest bang for their buck and that TV ads in those battleground states helped motivate voter turnout. 

The new 2022 Voter Funnel survey from TVB examined the media’s influence on voters following the midterm election in Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. 

The researchers report that TV was cited as the most important influence at each stage of voters’ decision process: (Awareness / Interest / Get More Information / Consider Voting / Vote). In fact, TV’s influence was more than all other media combined, at every stage.

In addition, 41% of voters selected broadcast TV as motivating them to get out and vote. Cable TV was next at a distant 27%, followed by social media at 24%.

Of those that cited TV as the “most important” influence, 7 out of 10 picked broadcast TV over cable.

TV ads had a ripple effect on 80% of respondents who took some kind of action after seeing/hearing a political ad on television. Additionally, of those that perform online searches, 83% said TV ads influenced their political searches.

The survey also found that local Broadcast TV news was the most trusted news source while news on local TV station websites and/or apps was the most trusted digital source. Voters found fake news to be most prevalent on social media and cable.

On average, in the 10 states, 53% of respondents voted prior to Election Day by mail, drop box or in person (before 11/8/22), an important finding for political campaign managers to factor into their advertising timing/schedule decisions.

Methodology: Conducted by Dynata, interviews were collected via opt-in survey to 10,000 adults (1,000 per state). Respondents were registered voters who saw/heard ads for candidates running for office on any of over 20 media platforms (traditional, digital, etc) in the past two months. They did not have to see a TV ad to be included in this study.

NEW YORK—A new report that studied more than 200 political ad campaigns in the first half of 2022 concludes that when it comes to achieving the best results from TV, politicians should spend 10-20% on campaign ads on streaming and the rest on traditional TV. 

The report from Effectv is based on data insights collected from nearly 20 million impressions and iterates that political advertisers who are still relying solely on TV— or, in particular, only news—are likely to be missing out on reaching voters. Advertisers will see the most success, according to the research, by optimizing their media plans across both TV and streaming to achieve the greatest reach.

These insights, spanning over 200 political advertising campaigns in the first half of 2022 during the primaries, uncover a formula that strikes a balance between TV and streaming advertising for maximized reach: Effectv recommends that political advertisers in particular allocate around 10-20% of their TV investment to ad-supported streaming with the remaining investment to traditional TV. While Effectv suggests that general advertisers attribute 20-30% of their total video investment to streaming, the recommendation is slightly lower when reaching likely voters, who, according to Comcast’s aggregated viewership data, are likely to spend more time with traditional TV.

“With midterms around the corner, advertisers need to pinpoint where they can optimize their budgets – across all mediums – and divide funding accordingly,” said Dan Sinagoga, Head of Political Sales at Effectv. “Balance is needed now more than ever, with political advertising spend set to hit a record of $9 billion this season, so it’s critical that advertisers plan and optimize campaigns holistically across all screens to reach audiences regardless of how they are consuming TV content.”

According to the study, in the 2022 primaries, 9% of frequent voters were reached through streaming only, 10% through TV and streaming combined, and 81% through TV only—illustrating traditional TV continues to be the foundation for political advertisers to reach voters. The research showed that by leaning into linear TV, advertisers can capture much of their desired audiences—but infusing streaming into a TV-centric media plan can exponentially extend reach: revealing that 51% of frequent voter households reached by streaming were incremental to traditional TV and would not have been reached by TV alone.

Effectv’s research illuminates the value of streaming to reach those in “light news viewing” households, finding that streaming impressions were 1.7x more likely to be seen within “light news viewing” households compared to traditional TV (18% versus 11%).

“TV viewership is changing before our eyes, and political advertisers need to adjust to that new reality,” added Sinagoga. “Relying on ‘old standbys’ like local news is not enough anymore. Streaming is a critical component to political advertising, and we’re seeing greater success among advertisers who take a multiscreen approach, using streaming as a strong complement to linear TV.”

The research concludes that traditional TV and streaming work better together to deliver audiences, Effectv said. Although TV continues to be foundational to media plans, streaming is becoming an increasingly critical element in political advertising, providing valuable incremental audiences and extending reach to households of likely voters, the researcher added.

SAN FRANCISCO—At its outset, it was touted as a revolutionary technology, a solution that could streamline and simplify each piece of the intricate, confusing and complex advertising process and bring in more ad dollars along the way.

It has matured since those early days as it mastered real-world hiccups like mismatched transfer rates, inconsistent measurement and problems with scalability.

As time has progressed, however, so have the capabilities inherent in modern advanced advertising technologies. What has emerged is a set of road-tested solutions that manage to meet several lofty goals: reaching the right viewers at the right time, thriving in time-sensitive cycles like an election year, managing orders as well as customer relationships and more. .

Political Ad Windfall
“Advanced advertising has always been about reaching the right person at the right time with the right message,” said John Gee, consultant and chief business development officer at LG Ads. “As new technologies, ways to view television, personalize, discover and experience content and advertising evolve, it will be easier to deliver the right message to the right viewer efficiently,  in a way that keeps them engaged and is the least disruptive to their viewing experience.”

One of those “baptism by fire” moments awaits the industry later this fall. According to a report by BIA Advisory Group, the 2022 political season could potentially generate $8.4 billion in local advertising dollars, with local television receiving a large share of that spend in the leadup to the November 2022 midterms. 

“Political spending is anticipated to be very large this year and other bright spots are surfacing that will affect ad revenue across the country for all media channels,” said Tom Buono, BIA CEO and founder, adding that many business verticals in 2022 are expected to exceed 2019 levels after the pandemic-based drop in 2020 and 2021.

Stations expecting to capture part of that burst of advertising dollars must consider the advertising realities that exist in the fast-paced political space, particularly in the last few months before the midterm elections on Nov. 8, 2022. 

How to do that? The bottom line is that broadcast and digital sales departments need to be responsive. This is a particularly true for sales staff at broadcast TV and radio stations, said political strategist Bud Jackson who, alongside another political strategist and BIA Advisory Services Managing Director Rick Ducey, was a panelist during a recent webinar on focused on how broadcast stations can earn a greater portion of political advertising dollars during the upcoming election season. 

“One of the downfalls of TV vs. digital is getting creative in or out in a timely manner,” Jackson said. “Being available on the weekend somehow in the last couple of weeks is huge.” He recalled a political strategist’s nightmare story of a time when an incorrect advertising spot ran over and over during a weekend — because he couldn’t get anyone in the sales department on the phone after 5 pm on a Friday.

The lesson learned: since advertising customers are going around the clock, so must you. 

Know Your Customers
That type of round-the-clock customer focus is a key benefit of advanced advertising systems. It is customer relationship management (CRM) capabilities in advanced advertising systems that allow a sales team to more adroitly manage active customer accounts and make changes quickly, such as during an active political season. Advanced systems track accounts, monitor active proposals, keep tabs on standing orders. Keeping tabs on sales is a key feature of the Marketron REV system, for example, including detailing status of an order, keeping tabs on the review process as well as providing key metadata on final orders. 

“It’s important that you understand your customers because buyers right now are going around the clock,” said Evan Tracey, senior vice president of National Media as well as a professor and political strategist, during a recent political webinar. “Be really mindful. Their responsibilities are huge. And problems will arise. The ones the at fix it the quickest will be remembered fondly. The ones that are out on a Friday in November, not so much.”

Advanced advertising technologies have also proven themselves when it comes to smart pricing. Some systems, like the REV, tout the ability to use advanced algorithms and historical data to automatically set spot prices based on open blocks and fill rates. Some can set rate curves as well as floor and ceiling rates down to a 30-minute time block. 

One of the features that advanced advertising has long touted is the ability to provide advanced targeting and a richer engagement for viewers. Depending on the system, the technology can deliver ads to a household level, offering to get the right inventory to the right audience. Systems like the LTN Target universal signaling system allow for linear channels to run national addressable ads at scale during live linear broadcasts. 

According to LTN Global, the type of responsiveness that can be found in a digital advertising setup can also be recreated within a broadcasting’s traditional linear set up, resulting in several improvements. The system can format and insert watermarks, handle SCTE 35 cue tone markers within an MPEG transport stream, and use key metadata for addressable ad decisioning and replacement during live, linear programming, regardless of the distribution platform. 

That addressable piece of the puzzle is key. Traditional TV reaches a massive audience but lacks the addressable capability of digital. And there’s much to be gained by making that transition. A recent report from Deloitte Global predicts that addressable TV advertising — allowing different ads to be shown to different households watching the same program — is expected to generate about $7.5 billion globally this year. 

Who’s Watching?
To grab a larger share of that market, broadcasters and content creators must first answer one key question: who is actually in the room watching the TV? “I think [that is] the most important area that ad tech needs to solve,” Gee said. “Several companies are working on how to do that in a privacy centric way, including LG Ads. We’ve developed speech technology that can be trained to recognize all the individuals in the household. It can be used by TV OEMs to control the TV, provide highly personalized viewing experiences for content and ads and ways to interact with both, keeping viewers engaged.”

Keeping viewers engaged is a big part of user-centric dynamic ad insertion, a feature touted for its ability to provide an engaging viewing experience with the viewer while enhancing the monetization of the related ad inventory. A solution like PRISMA from MediaKind connects a content owner’s ad inventory to advertisers via an ad decision server or server-side platform integration (SSPI) system.

Through an SSPI system, advertisements can be personalized on a per user or audience basis in a live or near-live scenario or non-live situation. In live programming, dynamic ad replacement of an entire ad break is possible, as well as on a spot-by-spot basis. The same can be accomplished in a non-live VOD, personal video recording or catch-up TV service.

Telestream is another company using dynamic ad insertion to monitor quality and avoid lost revenue. The company’s iQ video monitoring solution watches for quality issues in each step of the delivery chain including identifying missing SCTE-35 ad placement markers and tracking ad behavior. Other features include visual validation of successful ads, alerts for ad-related issues and the ability to track fluctuations and errors.   

Ad Insertion Platform, a 15 year-old Swiss-based developer of products geared towards monetization in the streaming and broadcasting industry, offers DAI Connect, an SSAI platform that can be used to create user targeted ad pods or ad breaks. A feature called “Manifest Manipulator” inserts a created ad pod in at the manifest level for each end user so that content can be transcoded on the same profile to preserve required video quality. The AIP Optimizer enables unified headers so that open inventory can be sold programmatically at the best price. 

The Power of Programmatic
One company that has invested in an advanced advertising solution from AIP is Spanish technology company TVUP Media Telecom, who is using the technology to help monetize its advertising inventory. Using AIP, TVUP is able to programmatically sell video ad inventory and enable server-side ad insertion. The combination of AIP’s advanced ad serving capabilities and the ability to insert dynamic ads into video content is helping the company optimize the value of its inventory.

“Thanks to AIP’s programmatic ad sales services, we can increase our ad revenue and maximize fill rates,” said Eudald Domènech, CEO of TVUP, adding that the technology also allows for seamless stitching of video ads within the company’s complex digital infrastructure.

The company also recently inked a partnership with the software-as-a-service platform company Veset to manage SSAI for live and on-demand content on Veset’s playout platform. 

 “We’re making it easy for broadcasters and content owners to create a seamless, sophisticated workflow for originating and monetizing their linear and streaming channels,” said Igor Krol, CEO of Veset. 

The Cloud’s Role
Other companies have taken their solutions to the cloud. The cloud-native platform Imagine Aviator enables content creators to plan, make and monetize premium-quality linear and OTT content from one unified platform. 

The goal is specific, according to Brad Herman, senior vice president of product at Imagine Communications. “The primary goal for media companies today is to increase eCPMs and operational efficiency of monetizing CTV inventory — to maximize revenue while lowering operational costs,” he said. 

Imagine calls the system a converged solution that delivers linear programming and VOD content with ads, with associated triggers for local and dynamic ad insertion. And that linear-like control of connected TV monetization is key in delivering a broadcast-quality viewing experience, Herman said. “This results in more advertisers being comfortable running campaigns, which ultimately increases eCPMs of CTV inventory. A better viewing experience can also lead to increased viewing times, which then generates more ad opportunities. And delivering a broadcast-quality ad experience enables media companies to satisfy linear under-delivery on CTV.”

The company announced at the NAB Show that it plans to expand the platform’s capabilities to allow media companies to sell their own ad inventory rather than connecting to a demand-side platform to fill available inventory. Inventory can be sold by audience, context or by spot with additional functionality that can adjust for hard-to-plan scenarios like breaking news and live sporting events. 

 “As consumers find more ways to watch, the efficiencies of [the] cloud play an important role, making it easier for media companies to address broadening advertising opportunities and create highly impactful and dynamic channels with genuine appeal to viewers,” said Rob Malcolm, chief product officer at Imagine Communications when the solution was released just prior to the 2022 NAB Show.

And there is more to come, whether that’s improving reach to micro-audiences or new opportunities as stations convert to NextGen TV. Or even virtual and augmented reality, Gee said. 

“VR/AR has the potential to be a real game changer for both advertisers and content producers,” he said. “It can be ‘always on,’ it’s a deeply engaging way to experience content and ads, and it’s truly one-to-one, the ultimate in being able to deliver the right message to the right person at the right time.”

When it comes to advanced advertising, that’s exactly what we’re looking for. 

WASHINGTON—Election results for the presidency and other races may not be known on Nov. 3, but election day puts a bow on the lowest unit charge for political advertising that TV and radio broadcasters were required to implement in the build up to people’s votes being counted.

The FCC’s Media Bureau officially said in a public notice that even if races are still undecided for days, or even weeks, following Nov. 3, broadcasters will not be obligated to provide the lowest unit charge for any post-election political ads.

The Communications Act of 1934 set the rule for broadcasters to give individuals running for public office the lowest unit charge available for 60 days preceding an election. While “election” is not defined by the law, the FCC has interpreted that to mean the election date designated by federal law, in the case of 2020, Nov. 3.

PLUS: The Longest Night

While stations would no longer be required to charge the lowest unit charge, the FCC does remind them that any ad on behalf of a candidate or communication relating to any political matter of national importance must be uploaded to the station’s online political file.

NEW YORK & LOS ANGELES—As the U.S. election heats up, sell-side advertising platform Magnite has conducted a study that indicates that CTV advertising is likely to be a critical tool in influencing “persuadable” voters—those who are undecided or independent.

About 30% of eligible voters consider themselves independent or undecided in the upcoming presidential election. In “The Power of CTV: Reaching Persuadable Voters in 2020,” Magnite found that 40% of that demographic does not subscribe to cable and satellite services. However, 70% does subscribe to an ad-supported streaming TV service, including 81% of Hispanic/Latino voters.

The survey also found that 75% of those surveyed prefer political ads that have video. In fact, Magnite found that 70% often took an average of two actions to research a candidate after seeing a digital video political ad. This is in comparison to political ads on social media, which 72% of respondents said were “untrustworthy” or “deceitful.”

“Candidates are honing in on specific types of voters, the ones who are hard-to-reach, undecided and young, particularly in swing and flip states,” said Dan Fairclough, senior director of Political Demand Sales at Magnite. “CTV provides that level of targeting within premium brand-safe content not found on social media and with the agility that traditional TV buying lacks.”

The impacts of COVID-19 are also a factor in how CTV can impact these persuadable voters. Not only has financial implications accelerated the cord-cutting rates, per Magnite, as people turn to free, ad-supported CTV content, but 76% of cord-cutters surveyed said that they are streaming more ad-supported video on demand content now.

“CTV presents an effective, responsible and transparent opportunity to engage with voters,” said Adam Lowy, head of North American Demand Sales and Strategy for Magnite. “With CTV, political buyers can eliminate wasted impressions and are no longer bound to DMAs, which sometimes cover two or even three states.”

For more information, visit Magnite’s website. 

WASHINGTON—With the 2020 presidential election just heating up, and a tidal wave of political ads certainly on the horizon, the National Association of Broadcasters has filed a comment with the FCC Media Bureau that says a trio of recent orders regarding properly labeling political ads will prove “impracticable, overly burdensome and statutorily and constitutionally questionable” for broadcasters and cable operators.

This stems from complaints filed by the Campaign Legal Center and Sunlight Foundation against 11 commercial TV stations in late 2019. It was alleged that the stations failed to maintain information in their political files as required by section 315(e) of the Communications Act of 1934. The FCC responded by issuing three orders that detailed requirements for broadcasters in labeling political ads in their filings.

The NAB, along with representatives from Fox Corporation and NCTA—The Internet & Television Association, has in turn filed comments addressing these orders and how they would negatively impact broadcasters.

“The Industry Parties expressed their overarching concern that the three Orders essentially imposed a strict liability standard on broadcast stations and cable operators, inconsistent with the FCC’s traditional deference to those entities when making judgements in the political programming context,” the comments read. It argues that the new requirements increase the chances of inadvertent noncompliance.

Rather, the NAB believes that the FCC should rely on good faith efforts of broadcasters and cable operators in disclosing the issues of political ads and the entities responsible for them.

The comments also delved into the FCC’s interpretation of “political matters of national importance,” calling it “overbroad, inconsistent with congressional intent and difficult if not impossible for broadcasters and cable operators to implement.” It notes that the Campaign Legal Center even acknowledged such actions as impracticable to draw “fine distinctions” between federal and state issues.

NAB also asked for clarification that disclosure policies for third-party ads are not applicable to ads purchased by federal, state or local candidates.

NAB’s full comments, as well as the original order, are available through FCC’s ECFS 

CHANTILLY, Va.—The 2020 presidential election will help U.S. local advertising revenue reach new heights, a projected $161.3 billion to be exact, according to a recent report from BIA Advisory Services.

BIA’s “U.S. Local Advertising Forecast 2020” forecast would be a 5.8% growth rate from the $152.5 billion in ad revenue from 2019, with political ad spending helping to boost revenue. Where this revenue comes from is also seeing significant change, as BIA sees increases in ad revenue from OTT and social media, though traditional media will remain the biggest resource.

Traditional media is expected to account for $94.4 billion of the ad revenue in 2020, up from $93.2 billion in 2019, which would make up 58.5% of the total revenue. Online/digital revenue will see a larger growth, however, earning an estimated $66.9 billion in 2020, or 41.5% of the total revenue; it earned $59.3 billion in 2019. OTT and social media are big drivers for this increase.

BIA forecasts that $1.06 billion in local activated advertising will be spent on OTT in 2020, and that number will grow to $2.13 billion by 2024. For social, $29.5 billion will be spent in 2020, growing to $44.6 billion by 2024. Social media ad revenue primarily comes from mobile devices, with them currently representing a 93.8% total and an expectation to hit 96% by 2024, as mobile native/social is the fastest growing segment of mobile advertising at 13.9%.

As far as the specifics of political ad spending, BIA projects that $6.58 billion will be spent for the 2020 elections. Over-the-air will account for nearly half ($3.07 billion or 47%), but online digital will bring in about 22% ($1.42 billion) and even OTT is getting in on the action, with an estimated $51 million (0.8%).

“The expectation of an aggressive presidential election next year, along with primaries and state-wide races, indicate that political ad spending will be a serious driver of local ad revenue next year,” said Mark Fratrik, chief economist and senior vice president at BIA. “Combine these factors with the ongoing growth of mobile and social advertising and the emergence and future significant advancement in over-the-top advertising, the revenue landscape for next year looks robust.”

The full “U.S. Local Advertising Forecast 2020” report is available on BIA’s website.

As election campaigns pick up the pace for 2020, what is involved in producing, shooting and editing TV ads and digital media for political campaigns? The session “Getting Into Politics: Best Practices for Those Behind the Camera” will be presented at The Video Show, a two-day event in Washington, Dec. 4–5, 2019.

In the session, Nate Kresge, co-owner and executive director at GK Visual, will share his thoughts on the process, and the technical and creative challenges and solutions associated with creating political videos. He'll also discuss tips for getting into the political industry and working with candidates for the first time.

The Video Show caught up with Kresge for just a minute ahead of the show.

The Video Show:With the foreign election meddling in 2016 that took advantage of social media platforms, and Twitter’s recent decision to ban political ads altogether, do you think there is still a place for campaign videos on social media?

Nate Kresge: I think there will always be a place for campaign videos on social media. I think the content of those ads will be what changes. Viewers are becoming much more savvy and want content that is genuine and authentic. We are already seeing candidates using their smartphones to upload videos from the campaign trail with huge success.

TVS:How have advances in technology (use of drones, 4K, VR, smartphones) affected the way election videos are produced?

NK: Technology has grown the political video industry by leaps and bounds. When I first started in this field 16 years ago consultants and campaigns thought it was a waste of time to have a website, let alone post video online. It would also take us much longer to turn around a spot. Now we can turn a spot around in less than 24 hours. Advancements such as drones and 4K cameras are just improving the look of our work and making productions more affordable.

The Video Show will feature more than 100 sessions on nine presentation stages, as well as a dedicated screening room, demo areas, streaming studio and dynamic exhibit floor. Want to hear more about this topic? Visit the website to learn more and register.