Bloomberg, missing from Democratic debate stage, uses pricey ads to try to grab the spotlight

Billionaire presidential contender Mike Bloomberg did not garner enough supporters or donors qualify for Thursday night’s Democratic debate, but he had a different kind of megaphone in the form of a YouTube banner ad — one of the most expensive and widest-reaching digital advertising slots.

The Bloomberg campaign’s 24-hour ad campaign on YouTube, which boasts a reach of 2 billion viewers per month, was the latest effort by the wealthy candidate to flood the airwaves to make up for his late entrance in the presidential race.

Already, the former New...