The Critical Role of Ad Operations for Midterm Elections
The 2026 U.S. midterm elections are shaping up to be one of the most intense and expensive cycles in American history. AdImpact forecasts that political ad spending will exceed $10 billion, breaking previous records. Axios expects Connected TV (CTV) to absorb over $2.4 billion of that, with broadcast television still holding weight but competing with rapidly shifting audience behavior. This isn’t just an election cycle, it’s a stress test for media companies to capture revenue, manage inventory, and deliver trusted coverage in a deeply polarized environment.
Major media companies are already positioning themselves. The Washington Post has built a dedicated Campaigns & Democracy team, tasked with covering the mechanics of democracy itself alongside the usual campaign trail reporting. MSNBC is tripling its live events slate to build new touch points with audiences. Even a few startups are experimenting with formats that put viewers directly into political conversations. Across the board, we’re seeing the same pattern: media outlets are expanding staff, launching new products, experimenting with digital-first formats, and investing in trust-building initiatives to meet audience expectations in a heated political landscape.
Meeting the Demand
While newsroom resources expand, the behind-the-scenes operational pressure grows even heavier. Managing surging political ad demand, structuring CTV and digital inventory for efficiency, balancing premium election buys with non-political advertisers, and staying ahead of evolving compliance and transparency requirements create an enormous operational load. Add to that the need for data-driven targeting, rapid trafficking of ad campaigns, cross-channel measurement, and the risk of misinformation slipping through digital cracks. The stakes have never been higher.
But media companies can partner with advertising management services to ensure success. Operative Managed Services brings more than just extra hands; it offers expertise, scalability, and precision. As media companies prepare for unprecedented ad volumes, Operative experts can take over the complex operational execution—campaign trafficking, QA, reporting dashboards, and troubleshooting across platforms—freeing internal teams to focus on strategy, coverage, and revenue growth. With political campaigns often demanding rapid turnaround and flawless delivery, partnering with Operative ensures that no opportunity is missed due to bottlenecks or human error.
This isn’t just an election cycle, it’s a stress test for media companies to capture revenue, manage inventory, and deliver trusted coverage in a deeply polarized environment.
Flexible Scaling
Political ad spending tends to spike dramatically in battleground states, often overwhelming local ad ops teams. Operative’s Ad Operations team can expand or contract operational support dynamically, ensuring coverage where it’s needed most. They can also integrate seamlessly with both publisher-side and agency-side needs, balancing competing priorities with agility.
Connected TV
With CTV ad budgets surging, inventory structures are more complex than ever, requiring careful setup of placements, targeting keys, and deal configurations. The Operative team can build and maintain these structures efficiently, optimizing ad serving while safeguarding compliance and maximizing revenue potential.
Trust and Transparency
Media companies face scrutiny over how political ads are targeted, disclosed, and fact checked. Publishers can leverage Operative’s ad expertise to help enforce rigorous QA processes, monitor campaign delivery for irregularities, and provide transparent reporting that reassures both regulators and audiences.
Partner with Proven Experts
The 2026 midterms won’t just measure who wins and losses at the ballot box—they’ll also measure which media companies rise to the occasion operationally. The outlets that thrive will be those that recognize the power of partnership, letting Operative handle the heavy lift of execution while they focus on what they do best: storytelling, coverage, and audience connection.
For media companies, the question isn’t whether they can handle the midterm surge on their own—it’s whether they should. By leaning on Operative Managed Services, they can turn a potential operational strain into a competitive advantage, ensuring they capture every ad dollar, maintain trust, and keep audiences engaged in the most critical conversations of our time.