• by Joe Mandese  @mp_joemandese, April 5, 2024

It's no surprise that political advertising continues to be a cash cow for the TV industry, but if you had told me abortion-related campaigns would be the fastest-growing segment within the category, I never would have guessed it.

Keep in mind that two-thirds of all political ad spending still goes to TV at a time when two-thirds of general market advertising goes to digital.

But based on new estimates from ad tracker AdImpact, TV has been taking more like nine out of every 10 dollars spent on abortion-related advertising to date.

That estimate is based on new AdImpact data showing that for the past two calendar years (2022 and 2023), ad spending related to abortion bans in states with ballot initiatives has already totaled $111.2 million.

That could swell to more than half a billion by November, according to previously released projections from AdImpact.

Interestingly, the data also reveals anti-ban campaigns so far have been outspending pro-ban campaigns 56% to 44% to date, which makes sense since Democrats have been messaging abortion bans -- including recent pushes to ban prescription drugs used for medical abortions -- while Republicans have been harping on immigration as the main issue in recent House primary campaigns, according to a separate analysis released by AdImpact.