Hulu Ad Manager vs. Roku: Streaming TV Strategy for State Races
Hulu Ad Manager vs. Roku: Streaming TV Strategy for State Races is the definitive technical debate for campaign managers looking to maximize reach in the 2025 cycle. As the electorate cuts the cord, relying solely on linear broadcast and cable is a guaranteed way to lose ground to Republican opponents who are already heavily invested in digital streaming. For Democratic candidates fighting tooth and nail for every vote in state legislative and gubernatorial contests, media budget efficiency is paramount. You cannot afford to waste donor funds on impressions that land outside your district. In this breakdown, we analyze the pricing, targeting limitations, and political compliance hurdles of the two biggest players in the CTV space to ensure your media buy actually moves the needle against the GOP machine.
Maximizing Democratic Ad Dollars: The Battle of Streaming Platforms
When evaluating streaming infrastructure for a state-level campaign, the decision criteria are vastly different from selling consumer goods. We are not selling soap; we are selling a vision to protect reproductive freedom and democracy. Therefore, the two metrics that matter most are Cost Per Thousand Impressions (CPM) and Political Compliance Flexibility. State races often operate on tighter margins than federal contests, meaning every dollar must deliver a verified voter interaction. Furthermore, political ad tiers on these platforms are often opaque, hidden behind sales reps and complex certification processes. To win, you must understand which platform allows you to target specific zip codes or congressional districts without draining your burn rate on exorbitant premiums.
Roku Ads Manager: The Efficiency Play for State Campaigns
For campaigns prioritizing budget efficiency and granular geography, Roku Ads Manager often emerges as the superior direct-buy option. The platform offers significantly lower CPMs, typically ranging between $18 and $35 for political inventory. This is a crucial advantage when you are trying to stretch a limited media budget across a competitive state house district. Additionally, Roku allows for wholesale pricing via its programmatic ad auctions, which helps you avoid the 12 to 30 percent markup often charged by third-party Demand Side Platforms (DSPs). In terms of targeting, Roku provides robust options for zip code, DMA, and congressional district filtering, alongside contextual targeting based on viewing history. While it lacks direct 1:1 voter file matching in its self-serve tool, the ability to target by political party interest and specific geographies makes it a formidable tool for base mobilization and persuasion in localized races.
Hulu Ad Manager: Premium Reach with Premium Barriers
Hulu remains a giant in terms of brand prestige and engagement, particularly among younger, urban demographics that lean Democratic. However, the costs and restrictions make it difficult for down-ballot races to utilize effectively. Typical CPMs on Hulu Ad Manager hover around $70 for comparable CTV inventory, which is nearly double or triple the cost of Roku. Furthermore, Hulu explicitly bans individual-level voter file targeting and strictly limits political ads to broad geographic and age-based targeting. This means you cannot upload a list of persuadable swing voters and serve ads only to them via the direct manager. While the inventory is premium and the completion rates are high, the high minimum spend requirements and lack of granular political targeting make it a blunt instrument. It is better suited for statewide branding efforts with massive budgets rather than precision surgical strikes needed to flip a district.
The Data Gap: NGP VAN, ActBlue, and DSPs
A critical realization for any digital director is that neither platform integrates natively with our ecosystem’s core tools like NGP VAN or ActBlue. You cannot simply plug in your fundraising data or canvassing lists to either Hulu or Roku’s self-serve managers. Both platforms have firewalls against onboarding granular CRM data for political tiers due to privacy concerns. To achieve true 1:1 voter targeting—where you match specific digital IDs to your voter file—you generally must bypass the self-serve tools entirely and buy inventory through a political-specialized DSP like The Trade Desk, Simpli.fi, or StackAdapt. These platforms integrate with data partners like TargetSmart, L2, and Catalist, allowing you to overlay voter files onto streaming inventory. However, this comes at a cost of higher tech fees and minimums, trading the direct cost efficiency of Roku’s self-serve tool for the data precision required in tight margins.
The Verdict for 2026 State Races
If you are managing a state legislative race with a strict budget, your strategy should lean heavily towards Roku Ads Manager for your direct buys. The lower CPMs and ability to target by zip code allow you to saturate a district without overspending. Hulu Ad Manager vs. Roku: Streaming TV Strategy for State Races ultimately comes down to a choice between reach and precision. Hulu is simply too expensive and restrictive for most down-ballot campaigns unless purchased programmatically through a larger agency deal. For the ultimate edge, smart campaigns utilize a hybrid approach: buy base layer geographical reach directly on Roku to keep costs low, and use a DSP for highly targeted injection of ads to specific swing voters using L2 or TargetSmart data. Do not let the GOP outmaneuver you on the digital front; choose the platform that lets you control the narrative efficiently.
The Sutton & Smart Difference: Powering the Blue Wave
Your Republican opponent is likely relying on dark money Super PACs to blanket the airwaves with disinformation. You cannot afford to guess which streaming platform yields the best return on investment; you need a precision strike. At Sutton & Smart, we do not just advise; we execute the full stack of Democratic Media Buying. We manage complex CTV campaigns that blend the cost-efficiency of direct Roku buys with the surgical precision of DSP-driven voter file targeting. Our teams also deploy Anti-Disinformation Units to monitor and counter GOP narratives in real-time across digital channels. Logistics and superior data are what flip seats, not just hope. Let us build the infrastructure that secures your victory.
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Jon Sutton
An expert in management, strategy, and field organizing, Jon has been a frequent commentator in national publications.
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Have Questions?
Frequently Asked Questions
Roku typically offers CPMs between $18 and $35, while Hulu is significantly more expensive, often averaging around $70 CPM for political inventory.
No. Neither platform allows direct upload of voter files in their self-serve tools. You must use a Demand Side Platform (DSP) with data integrations for TargetSmart or L2 to achieve this.
Roku is generally superior for zip code and congressional district targeting in a self-serve capacity, offering more granular control than Hulu's broader geographic restrictions.
This article is provided for educational and informational purposes only and does not constitute legal, financial, or tax advice. Political campaign laws, FEC regulations, voter-file handling rules, and platform policies (Meta, Google, etc.) are subject to frequent change. State-level laws governing the use, storage, and transmission of voter files or personally identifiable political data vary significantly and may impose strict limitations on third-party uploads, data matching, or cross-platform activation. Always consult your campaign’s General Counsel, Compliance Treasurer, or state party data governance office before making strategic, legal, or financial decisions related to voter data. Parts of this article may have been created, drafted, or refined using artificial intelligence tools. AI systems can produce errors or outdated information, so all content should be independently verified before use in any official campaign capacity. Sutton & Smart is an independent political consulting firm. Unless explicitly stated, we are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by any third-party platforms mentioned in this content, including but not limited to NGP VAN, ActBlue, Meta (Facebook/Instagram), Google, Hyros, or Vibe.co. All trademarks and brand names belong to their respective owners and are used solely for descriptive and educational purposes.
https://competeeverywhere.com/2024/06/june-2024-hulu-and-roku-changed-2024-media-buying/
https://www.mozillafoundation.org/en/campaigns/paid-programming/hulu/
https://www.justice.gov/atr/page/file/1202076/dl?inline
