• by Amanda , February 1, 2008

Because I cannot bring myself to cheer for either team in the Super Bowl, I am super hyped about the upcoming Super Tuesday political coverage. It seems this presidential election is getting as much attention as anything in the sports arena these days. From CNN’s 40 hours of Super Tuesday coverage to Comedy Central’s Indecision 2008, TV coverage of this presidential election is drawing a lot of attention from voters, which I can only assume is translating into big bucks for marketers.

When you think about it, the political sparring occurring in politics right now is pretty similar to the clash of the proverbial Titans (or Patriots and Giants) on Sunday. There are political “teams,” big-budget ad campaigns, celebrity sightings, and a lot of commentary afterwards. The Democratic Debate Thursday night is a really good example. The audience was filled with A-list Hollywood celebrities; the Los Angeles Times – Politico ad in the lower third must have cost a fortune; and every station had coverage of the amicable exchange between Obama and Clinton. To a certain extent big elections are always like this, but I maintain that because voters are tuning into news coverage in record numbers, media is benefiting big time.

I do have some questions: I would be interested to know what the viewership numbers are like for this coverage. More than this, I would be interested to know how much ads are running these days during big debates and coverage of primaries – and if these numbers have changed since the election in 2004. Do the numbers and advertisers change depending upon the party, time and/or debate venue?

This is only the second presidential election in which I will be voting, so I am excited that there has been so much coverage of the candidates and issues. It's not your typical sporting event, but I’m happy to have a team to cheer for!