Pharma’s Next Frontier: How CTV Bridges Trust, Precision, and Performance
Streaming is now the primary way audiences watch television, yet many pharmaceutical media strategies are still focused on linear. In May 2025, streaming accounted for 44.8% of total U.S. TV usage, surpassing the combined share of broadcast (20.1%) and cable (24.1%) for the first time ever. Still, many pharma brands maintain a strong focus on linear television in their media planning.
That tension of how to modernize media strategy without compromising compliance or trust was the focus of a Fierce Pharma Week panel moderated by Emily Keith, SVP at Cadent Health. Joined by leaders from Publicis Health Media, Havas Media, IPG Mediabrands, and Klick Health, Keith guided a discussion on how Connected TV (CTV) is reshaping pharmaceutical advertising and redefining patient engagement. The discussion made clear that pharma’s next wave of growth will come from combining storytelling with measurable outcomes.
From reach to relevance
Linear TV has always been a big player for pharma advertisers. It offered scale and predictability. Today, as audiences move to streaming, that historically effective model is losing impact. “People aren’t watching appointment TV like they used to,” observed Jill Kriegel, Head of Partnerships, Health, IPG Mediabrands. “They’re watching across multiple platforms, and pharma advertisers are shifting from buying programs to buying audiences."
CTV combines the storytelling impact of television with the precision of digital targeting. For healthcare marketers, this could mean thinking less about broad demographics and gaining the ability to think more about specific patient segments, behaviors, and contexts.
How CTV drives measurable performance
Panelists agreed that CTV is evolving from being a branding tool into becoming a measurable performance driver. Holly Dunn, Managing Partner, Performance, Havas Media emphasized the value of a “test and learn” approach, noting that even static creative assets can be repurposed for streaming campaigns. Molly Bennett, VP, Investment Lead, Publicis Health Media added that AI-powered contextual targeting enables greater relevance—such as serving a depression-treatment ad immediately after mental health content.
The IAB projects that by 2025, digital video will represent nearly 60% of all TV and video ad spend—a signal that the shift to streaming isn’t slowing down. But with growth comes greater scrutiny. As the panelists noted, CTV’s true potential lies in pairing performance data with patient protection, evolving privacy frameworks alongside new measurement models to ensure campaigns remain both effective and ethical.
Connecting linear and CTV: The hybrid advantage
Despite CTV’s rapid growth, the panelists emphasized integration over replacement. Linear still delivers broad reach, especially for older adults and caregivers, while CTV adds incremental reach among cord-cutters, younger caregivers, and rare-disease audiences.
Bennett shared that reallocating just 5–7% of a linear budget into CTV maintained overall reach and frequency while improving efficiency. For smaller or challenger brands, CTV provides a practical entry into high-quality video environments without the high cost of traditional TV buys.
Compliance as a creative constraint, not a barrier
Regulation remains a defining feature of healthcare marketing, but compliance can also inspire creativity. “Just because you can doesn’t mean you should,” said Dunn, emphasizing that precision targeting must never come at the expense of patient trust.
CTV’s premium, privacy-safe environments make it possible to balance personalization with protection. At Cadent Health, predictive modeling and strong data governance help pharmaceutical brands design campaigns that achieve both performance and compliance.
Pharma’s path forward
As streaming becomes the dominant video channel, pharma advertisers face a clear choice: continue optimizing the old model or embrace a new one that connects storytelling, data, and accountability. CTV offers that bridge, allowing marketers to reach the right audience with the right message while maintaining integrity.
At Cadent Health, we help brands activate privacy-first, data-driven campaigns that meet patients where they are—on any screen—and ignite the connections that lead to better health outcomes.
Watch the full panel, From Linear to Connected TV: The Digital Channel Disrupting Pharma Advertising, from Fierce Pharma Week 2025 to hear Emily Keith and the panelists share more insights on how CTV is transforming pharma media.