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Scoop: Senate GOP makes massive bet on streaming
The top Senate GOP super PAC has significantly increased its spending on streaming and social media platforms. This trend reflects a broader shift in political advertising towards digital avenues. Super PACs find these platforms advantageous due to greater targeting freedom and bargaining power. In some states, these digital platforms now constitute half of the Senate Leadership Fund's budget. While the Senate Majority PAC also increased digital spending, they did not provide specific figures. Streaming and social media allow for more precise audience targeting and easier impact measurement compared to traditional broadcast. However, platforms have the autonomy to set their own advertising rules, leading to restrictions on certain ad content. Super PACs often negotiate directly with streaming platforms, leveraging their substantial budgets for discounts. This digital space also allows for experimentation with various ad formats and lengths. Tracking streaming ad buys can be more complex than broadcast advertising due to varying levels of public data availability. Unlike broadcast TV and radio, streaming reservations are not subject to the same FCC filing requirements, making advance visibility difficult. Despite this, independent expenditures must still be reported to the FEC. While Democratic candidates have excelled in direct fundraising, Republican super PACs are compensating with large donor-fueled funds. The National Republican Senatorial Committee is also utilizing coordinated ad buys with campaigns, accessing preferential rates. The increasing reliance on streaming and coordinated buys is expected to dominate future election cycles.