The top Senate GOP super PAC has nearly tripled its spending on streaming and social media platforms this election cycle to more than $200 million, Axios has learned.

Why it matters: In a record cycle for ad spending, more political money is shifting to streaming, where super PACs have greater freedom to target voters, bargain and experiment — but platforms have more power to set the rules.

  • In some states, streaming and social media have swallowed half of the Senate Leadership Fund (SLF) budget, according to a source familiar with the group's spending.
  • SLF's $200M+ total for the 2026 cycle (up from $71M in 2024) includes tens of millions of dollars funneled through the SLF-linked Texas PAC and its affiliated nonprofit One Nation.

The other side: The top Senate Democratic super PAC declined to provide a dollar figure for their spending on streaming.

  • "Senate Majority PAC invested more this cycle in digital communications than any previous cycle, running digital campaigns in 12 states," SMP communications director Lauren French told Axios.

Zoom in: Streaming and social platforms offer campaigns the power to target more specific audiences compared to traditional broadcast, and make it easier to measure the impact.

  • "Its way more surgical than a linear broadcast buy," Zack Roday, managing director at Think Big, told Axios.
  • But platforms can also set their own rules around which types of ads they want to accept. Some, like Netflix and TikTok, don't allow any candidate or issue ads.
  • Republicans have complained about restrictions on ads that include transgender issues on Disney-owned platforms.

Between the lines: Super PACs often pay multiple times what a campaign pays for ads on broadcast TV and radio because of laws ensuring candidates get the lowest rates.

  • Online, super PACs can negotiate directly — and use their fat budgets and sprawling election maps as leverage.
  • SLF works with platforms like SiriusXM, Paramount, Hulu, YouTube and others to lock in discounts based on their overall spending plans, according to the source.
  • Groups can also experiment with different lengths and formats for ads online, breaking the 30-second broadcast mold.

What to watch: Streaming ads can also be trickier for outside tracking. While Meta and Google provide public data on political ad buys, not every platform provides that kind of visibility,

  • Streaming buys aren't covered by the same FCC filing requirements as political ad reservations on broadcast TV and radio.
  • Broadcast filings can offer a preview of a group's targets months in advance, but streaming reservations are much harder to see.
  • Although AI is changing the game, and there is a growing industry of companies offering better tracking tools.
  • Super PACs still have to report independent expenditures to the FEC through 24- and 48- hour reports.

Zoom out: Strong grassroots fundraising has helped Democratic candidates crush Republicans in dollars brought in directly to candidates.

  • The GOP is hitting back with cash-flush committees and super PACs fueled by ultra-wealthy donors.
  • In addition to super PACs moving more money to streaming, the National Republican Senatorial Committee jumped on a court decisions to coordinate ad buys with campaigns — giving them access to the candidate rate.
  • It also allowed NRSC to negotiate with streaming platforms on behalf of multiple campaigns.

The bottom line: It's just the beginning on maneuvering on streaming and coordinated buys.

  • "That is definitely going to be the story of 2028," Kenny Day, senior vice president at IQM corporation, told Axios.
  • He said the Supreme Court decision on coordinated spending "was too late for either party to really take advantage of the allowance of coordinated spending" in the 2026 cycle.

Editor's note: This story has been corrected to show that the more than $200 million total included money spent through Texas PAC (not that it excluded that spending).