The first primary ballot hasn’t even been cast and already more than $100 million has been spent on the 2016 presidential election, or about five times what was spent in the run-up to the 2012 election.

Last week alone, says Kantar Media’s CMAG, more than $6 million was spent on TV ads in the early primary and caucus states. . . .

Analysts have forecast record levels of spending. Borrell Associates, the Williamsburg, Va., ad tracking firm, projects a 20 percent surge over 2012 to $11.4 billion in spending, including a new high of $1 billion on digital.

The bulk of that, $8.5 billion, will go to television.

Read the article “Political Spending 5 Times Higher Than at This Point in 2012” on medialifemagazine.com.