Latvian tech startup “Spotwise” has launched a free platform that lets anyone track political advertising activity on radio broadcasts across Latvia in real time. The platform was created at a time when pre-election campaigning has intensified in Latvia and the volume of political ads on radio stations is rapidly increasing. The company states that its goal is to make political communication on radio more transparent and accessible to the public.
The platform allows real-time analysis of political ad activity on radio, including the number of ads, estimated advertising spend, total airtime, reach, language breakdown of ads, and campaign intensity across different periods. Users can review ad transcripts and message analysis, compare activity across different campaigns, track ad placement across various radio stations, and get an overview of sponsored programs and informational segments on the radio airwaves.
In addition to individual ads, the platform also aggregates overall market data, allowing users to assess advertising activity trends, total ad volume, estimated spend, communication channels used, and other campaign characteristics. According to the company, this is the first time the public has had the opportunity to see the full picture of pre-election radio communication in one place.
“In a democratic state, political campaigns should be as transparent as possible. The radio advertising market has historically been something of a ‘black box’ for the public — until now, only a limited circle could see which political ads were being placed, how often they aired, and what audience they reached. We believe this information should be available to everyone. The more transparent political advertising is, the more informed the public is, and the more effective the work of oversight bodies can be,” say Spotwise representatives.
The platform operates using artificial intelligence technologies that automatically analyze radio broadcasts, identify ads, and compile data on campaign activity across different radio stations.
Alongside the public political ads section, the company has also recently launched a self-service platform for advertisers, which will allow companies and agencies to analyze their own and competitors’ radio ad campaigns, track ad intensity, compare market activity, and assess audience reach.
According to publicly available information, state institutions have previously procured radio and television ad monitoring services to oversee pre-election campaigning. Spotwise notes that it will now offer part of this comparable information to the public free of charge.
The public political ad monitoring platform is available at: https://spotwise.ai/lv/politika
The platform works by analyzing publicly broadcast radio airtime in Latvia in real time. Artificial intelligence technologies are used to identify and analyze ads. Published spending figures are estimates based on rates registered with NEPLP (the National Electronic Mass Media Council) — they may differ from actual transaction amounts. AI-generated summaries included on the platform are informational in nature and may contain inaccuracies. They should not be considered legally or financially verified information.
