• by Wayne Friedman , February 5, 2010

Good news for TV stations -- but not so much for TV viewers -- is that future political advertising could turn into an "endless campaign." That's how Borrell Associates describes the new political advertising landscape, and in particular, the 2010 season, which is estimated to hit a record $4.2 billion.

A sizable piece of this big number comes from the recent landmark Supreme Court decision to give corporations the freedom to buy and attach their names to political advertising.

As a result of the high court's ruling, Borrell lifted its estimates 10% to the current $4.2 billion level. The group says about 75% of these dollars will be going to local TV.

All this would be a $1 billion-dollar improvement over the last big political advertising season -- 2008 -- which was estimated to have totaled just under $3 billion. It featured high-spending presidential and other political advertising efforts.

For the first time, Borrell expects 2010 political ad spending to surpass spending in a presidential year in the same decade.

Local TV advertising executives have always talked about the two-year cycle of the TV political advertising season, in which odd-number years have lower ad revenues and even-numbered years -- thanks to bigger presidential and more House of Representative and Senate campaigns -- have higher ad revenues.

Many industry executives believe the Supreme Court decision will change all this -- allowing corporations to buy political messaging all year round.

Internet political advertising spending is estimated to total $44 million in 2010, per Borrell. It will have rapid growth in the coming years -- more than doubling by 2012, going over the $100 million mark.