Why CTV Deserves a Starring Role in Pharma Marketing

As media habits evolve, pharma marketers are rethinking where and how to engage healthcare professionals (HCPs). One channel is quickly moving from experimental to essential: Connected TV (CTV).

It’s not just that more HCPs are streaming content—it’s that CTV offers a unique combination of scale, storytelling, and precision that few other channels can match. While many industries have already embraced CTV, pharma is now starting to catch up—and early adopters are seeing results.

Here’s why CTV is ready for a starring role in your media mix.

HCPs Are Watching—Just Not Where You Think

We often imagine HCP engagement happening at work: in front of a computer, on a medical platform, mid-clinical task. But that’s only part of the picture.

Healthcare professionals are also consumers—and like everyone else, they’re watching more streaming content across smart TVs, connected devices, and apps. That means they’re reachable in lean-back moments, when their attention isn’t divided by patient records, inboxes, or EHR platforms.

CTV gives pharma marketers a window into this other side of HCP behavior, where the right message has more time—and more space—to resonate.

Why CTV Works So Well for Pharma

CTV isn’t just a digital version of television—it’s a channel built for targeted storytelling.

Here’s what makes it uniquely valuable for healthcare brands:

Audience-Based Targeting: Advanced platforms now support targeting by specialty, NPI-linked segments, condition interest, and more—making CTV highly relevant for HCP reach.
High-Impact Storytelling: CTV offers full-screen, distraction-free viewing that’s ideal for emotionally driven or educational narratives.
Precision Meets Scale: Brands get the best of both worlds—broad delivery potential and granular control over who sees what, and when.
Performance Measurement: While CTV is a top-of-funnel tool, platforms increasingly offer metrics like completion rate, frequency, and even sequential retargeting opportunities.

Where CTV Fits in the Pharma Funnel

While CTV isn’t designed for direct conversions, it’s ideal for:

Awareness campaigns (e.g., condition education or early product messaging)
Unbranded storytelling (e.g., lifestyle impact, diagnostic challenges)
KOL-led content (e.g., expert insights, clinical narratives)
Rare disease outreach (where education is a key goal)

It’s also a smart way to extend the impact of endemic or display campaigns. A physician might see a brand on CTV in the evening—and then engage with follow-up content the next day in a more clinical context.

In this way, CTV isn’t an isolated play—it’s a multichannel amplifier.

Publishers and Agencies Are Catching On

Healthcare publishers and media agencies are exploring ways to bring pharma content into CTV environments without compromising on compliance or credibility.

That might mean:

Adapting editorial content into video formats
Sponsoring condition-focused educational programming
Creating campaign “chapters” that begin in video and continue across email, native, or display

These hybrid approaches allow pharma brands to tell stories that travel across screens and contexts, delivering stronger brand lift and message recall over time.

Final Thought: It’s Time to Think Beyond the Page

CTV isn’t just another ad channel—it’s a shift in how and where healthcare engagement happens.

By combining attention, storytelling, and smart targeting, CTV offers pharma marketers a way to connect with HCPs in a moment that’s often overlooked—but incredibly valuable.

The best stories don’t need to be complicated.

They just need the right screen.