Brazil's Free TV and Radio Campaign Blitz Kicks Off With Lula, Bolsonaro Locked in Tight Race

Brazil's presidential race enters a new phase on Friday as mandated free television and radio advertising begins, giving the two leading candidates a powerful platform to reach voters across the vast country. Despite Brazil's heavy internet usage, broadcast ads remain a decisive force in shaping public opinion, particularly in remote areas where connectivity is limited.

Incumbent Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, seeking a fourth non-consecutive term, and Senator Flávio Bolsonaro, eldest son of the jailed former president, are statistically tied in recent polls. Political consultant and former minister Thomas Traumann expects the tone of the broadcast spots to be exceptionally aggressive. "I think the campaign will be dirtier than 2022, and 2022 was already one of the dirtiest in Brazilian history," he said, recalling Lula's razor-thin victory over Jair Bolsonaro in the last election.

For many voters, the ads are a ritual. Maria Izabel Pecanha, an 84-year-old retired teacher in Rio de Janeiro, said she has followed them since the 1950s. "I like to watch them to feel excited, to feel angry... It is always very instructive," she said, adding that she views them as a window into history.

Unlike in the United States, Brazilian parties pay nothing for airtime. Slots are allocated based on a coalition's size and its representation in the lower house. Bruno Pompeu, a communications professor at the University of São Paulo, said this system "defends the democratic principle of equal treatment" by preventing wealth from determining media access.

The format is evolving, however. João Ricardo Matta, a business professor at the Getulio Vargas Foundation, predicts ads will adopt a more casual, homemade aesthetic influenced by social media, with production budgets shifting toward digital platforms.

Broadcasters must air nearly 1,000 30-second spots daily, plus dedicated blocks for presidential candidates. Lula's coalition will receive 5 minutes and 31 seconds of the prime block, while Bolsonaro's party gets 4 minutes and 20 seconds. Traumann noted that this disparity reflects Bolsonaro's difficulty in uniting major parties, unlike his father in 2018. If no candidate wins outright on October 4, a runoff is scheduled for October 25, with equal time for the two finalists.