Facebook, Google Are Election Ad Winners Despite Meddling Outcry
- Furor over Russian ads doesn’t hurt spending at online giants
- Broadcast TV stations still top recipients of political ads
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Even before ballots are counted from Tuesday’s elections, some clear winners have emerged, as Google and Facebook Inc. reap windfalls from political advertising after a season of controversy over online political speech.
Political ad spending is on course to set a record, exceeding expenditures in the 2016 presidential election year, with a total of perhaps $9 billion. Political ad buyers weren’t deterred by months of furor over election meddling by Russians using Facebook, Twitter and Alphabet Inc.’s Google and YouTube.