The long-running game show Wheel of Fortune has made a fortune so far this election year, bringing in $17.8 million in political ads through March 1, reports Bloomberg. The trends indicate Wheel will easily beat the $57 million it earned in the 2012 election cycle.
In 2012, Wheel beat all other television shows for political spending, according to research by Kantar Media’s Campaign Media Analysis Group, followed by NBC’s Today show, with $54 million and Jeopardy! with $50 million.
Campaigns, super PACs and political groups have purchased more than 13,600 commercials on the syndicated game show from Jan. 1 through March 1.
Why Wheel? Voters watch:
Demographics explain why campaigns target the show. The average viewer is 50 years old, and 70 percent say they always vote, according to Borrell Associates, which follows media trends. Last year an average of 29 million people tuned into Wheel each week, according to Nielsen.