Created by Adrian Elton. May 2025.
Political parties threw money at television during the 2025 federal election.
More than $54 million was spent by the parties on linear and broadcast video on demand services (7Plus, 9Now, 10Play and Binge/Kayo) in five weeks of campaigning, according to Brisbane-based video measurement firm Adgile.
“No matter how you cut it, television remains the most powerful channel for reaching voters at scale,” said Shaun Lohman, Adgile founder and managing director.
Television players took in 74% of all video revenue. Clive Palmer’s Trumpet of Patriots spent more than $24.1 million, the ALP $24 million for Labor, the Coalition $20.7 million and the Greens $4 million.
The campaign also saw significant revenue growth on YouTube, with more than $17 million spent on the platform. This is where minor parties and independents focused their spend
“What’s new in this election is the scale and sophistication of geotargeting and addressable advertising,” said Lohman.
“We’ve never seen this level of targeting or such a volume of variant political ads delivered across 7Plus, 9Now, 10Play, Foxtel’s apps, and YouTube in an Australian election.”
“In 2025, it’s clear that Australia’s political parties have taken cues from the US election playbook, adopting far more sophisticated strategies. We saw highly targeted ads delivered to key electorates with precision.
“Clive Palmer led total spending with a blunt-force media blitz across all channels, but Labor and the Coalition weren't too far behind and actually both spent more on TV than Trumpet of Patriots.”
Adgile’s analysis found Labor spent significantly more money on airing policy announcements over attack ads, particularly in the early weeks.
The Coalition spent far more on attack ads and held back its policy spend until later in the campaign.
“What is interesting is that Labor went big and early on TV and video with policy messaging, such as their tax cuts,” said Lohman.
“They were spending consistently throughout the five weeks of the campaign, especially in the early weeks when they had more clear air.
“Given the significant pre-poll vote, this has had an impact on last night’s result and represents a strategic change, in terms of the media strategy compared with previous elections.
“This campaign has been different, with geotargeted video ads targeting voters by electorate, and Labor breaking the traditional spending model where parties have historically held back their spend for a final-week advertising blitz.”
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