US broadcasters to miss out on political ad windfall as frugal Trump tightens purse strings
Donald Trump is tightening his purse strings as his campaign enters the final furlong of a dramatic race for the White House, refusing to splurge on TV ad spending.
Trump’s box office appeal means he can command record audiences during debate appearances on the networks, most recently during last week’s face off with Hilary Clinton in which 84m people tuned in to watch – a record for a presidential debate.
This has helped lift audiences at likes of CNN and Fox News, both of which are likely to smash records this year but with broadcasters clamouring for more Trump the business mogul has less need to pay for the privilege, spending just $78m on TV advertising to date.
This miserly total has prompted Kantar Media to downgrade its forecast revenue projections from $4.4bn to $3.65bn in 2016, a lower estimate than the $3.8bn election spend recorded in 2012.
Instead of splashing cash Trump has chosen to focus his efforts on Twitter and free media coverage, an asset which MediaQuant estimates to be worth as much as $4.6bn.