Hard truth. Local advertisers may not be receiving full value when purchasing traditional local TV station programming. It is not fraud; it is a measurement issue.

There is a significant disconnect in local broadcast advertising right now, and it’s creating a value gap for advertisers. It stems from a measurement issue that is rarely discussed and not fully understood: current local ratings measure programming content, not commercial delivery.

As local stations adapt to the digital era, they are rightly distributing their content across FAST platforms like Samsung TV Plus, Tubi, and Pluto to maintain reach.

The challenge arises in how that viewership is counted. When a viewer watches a local station via a FAST platform, that credit often flows back to the station's overall ratings, boosting their impression numbers on paper.

However, the advertiser who bought that time slot is often not participating in that streaming viewership.

Here is the reality: An advertiser pays for impressions based on the aggregate rating. Yet, when the content streams on a FAST platform, the original local commercial is frequently replaced by a platform-specific ad, a generic promo, or a blank slate.

I witnessed this perfectly this morning, watching local news on a FAST channel. The content was there, and the station got the ratings credit for my view. But the local advertiser who sponsored that segment got zero exposure to me.

This isn't malice or fraud; it is simply an outdated measurement currency struggling to keep pace with fragmented modern distribution.

This ecosystem will continue to evolve. Whether you are an ageny, an advertiser, or on the station side, it is vital to have these conversations proactively, before they are brought to your attention by a party that feels duped