There is an adage in American politics, campaigns don’t start until the first commercial appears on television. Despite the enormous gain of online campaigning, that half century tradition is proving a difficult habit to break.
Candidates and outside groups are expected to spend $1.1 billion on digital advertising in 2016, up almost 700% from $162 million in the 2012 elections, according to Borrell Associates. But television remains far and away the dominant platform for groups trying to reach the biggest possible audience of voters.
Apple’s move to make it easier to block ads on iPhones and iPads is troubling publishers and heightening tensions with its Silicon Valley neighbors. The next version of Apple’s mobile-operating system, due out as early as next month, will let users install apps that prevent ads from appearing in its Safari browser.
Ever since the first hand held e-readers were introduced in the 1990s, the digital reading revolution has turned the publishing business upside down. But contrary to early predictions, it’s not the e-reader that will be driving future book sales, but the phone.
Much more is highlighted in A Look Ahead.
