BTA: Parties Spent over EUR 913,000 on Election Campaign Ads, Most in Small Number of Media – Analysis

An analysis of party advertisements during the campaign for the April 19 elections shows the formations running for Parliament spent over EUR 913,000 (excluding VAT) on ads, most of these resources (42.52%) going into online media ads. The parties' ad expenses were concentrated in a limited number of media, mostly TV channels, according to the analysis published by the Institute for Public Environment Development.

The analysis is based on data from the official websites of 38 national and regional media (8 TV channels, 3 radio stations, 11 newspapers, and 16 information sites and agencies).

The formation that spent the most on ads was Progressive Bulgaria (EUR 196,219.42). The remaining top ten spenders were Continue the Change – Democratic Bulgaria (EUR 172,157.23), Vazrazhdane (EUR 163,691.13), GERB-UDF (EUR 61,712.27), BSP – United Left (EUR 55,834.64), MRF (EUR 32,121.63), Velichie (EUR 29,479), and Siyanie (EUR 25,147), Blue Bulgaria (EUR 20,861.43), and the Anti-Corruption Block (EUR 19,074.84).

By media, the biggest share of ad expenses went to online media (42.52%), followed by other TV channels (35.15%), Bulgarian National Television (7.87%), other radio service providers (6.9%), print media (6.44%), and Bulgarian National Radio (1.12%).

The data point to varying approaches in political formations' communication with voters. Traditional media, especially television, remain important, but are used according to party strategies and the current context. Major parties seek national reach and support. Smaller parties, on the other hand, most often use media packages, with oversight of how these funds are spent often remaining minimal. For some participants, media packages are the primary or sole resource in the campaign.

In recent years, there has been a growing preference for online platforms and social media, which offer more affordable prices, longer-form engagement, a lack of moderation, and much easier audience targeting. In the current campaign, however, there has been a slight shift away from this trend due to the ban on political advertising on Meta, the Institute said.