News podcasts and ad buyers have yet to see a presidential election year ad spend bump

In previous presidential election years, news publishers have often benefited from an increase in digital ad revenue. But some news podcasts aren’t seeing that same bump yet, with year-to-date ad revenue either down or flat compared to previous election years. 

Media buyers say advertisers’ aversion to news content has only grown since the last election, despite the entrance of new brand safety and suitability tools in the podcast space. In tandem, the news ecosystem has only become more polarized since 2020, seven agency execs told Digiday.

“Historically, we have seen an uptick in brands looking to engage with news [and] political oriented content during election years. However, this is not the trend that we are seeing this year. Brand suitability and the increased polarization of the political landscape are key factors at play here,” said Hilary Ross Shafer, vp of podcast and YouTube influencer at audio agency Veritone One.

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