The trend: Direct-to-consumer (D2C) TV advertising doubled the collective sales of many of the largest pharma TV advertisers across the last three years, per a recent analysis by the Video Advertising Bureau (VAB). The study analyzed 17 of the top 20 TV spending brands in 2024 and measured online search, website traffic, and sales before and after their TV campaigns launched.

Key data points: Total revenues for the 17 TV-advertised brands grew from $ 37.6 billion in 2021 to $86.8 billion in 2024, up 131%, per VAB.

• The brands’ total TV ad spending also jumped from $1.6 billion to $3.3 billion during the same time period, an increase of 106%.

Many brands’ sales growth closely correlated with TV ad spending during the three-year period, per VAB.

• Merck’s cancer drug Keytruda saw increased three-year compounded annual growth of 22% as TV ad spending increased by 20%.
• AbbVie’s next generation anti-inflammatory med Skyrizi sales grew 59% on increased TV ad spending by 44%, while sibling drug Rinvoq increased sales by 50% on TV spending growth of 30%.

Pharma TV ad campaigns also drove increases in online brand name searches and website visits, per VAB.

• 88% of 16 of the pharma advertisers experienced their highest brand search volume immediately following a TV campaign launch.
• Branded website traffic for eight of the TV advertisers grew by an average 106,000 more visits per month, up 47% between July 2021 and June 2025, per VAB.

Why it matters: Although pharma ad spending is shifting away from linear TV, the channel remains an important part of Big Pharma’s media mix. The 17 advertisers VAB analyzed are part of the top 20 group of leading brands that last year accounted for 55% of all pharma TV ad spending of $7 billion (per Nielsen).

We forecast healthcare and pharma linear TV ad spending will drop 11% this year to $5.56 billion as advertisers adopt more targeted and accountable digital media like connected TV and digital video.

Recommendations for pharma marketers: Big Pharma’s large TV ad budgets are still paying off despite the industry-wide shift toward digital. The VAB findings highlight TV’s ability to generate brand awareness that also fuels downstream digital engagement.

• Think of linear TV as a digital engagement driver. TV can drive awareness and spur consumer searches and website visits where conversations and conversions can happen.
• Reserve big-budget TV buys for drug launches, new indications, or disease areas with mainstream consumer interest, such as obesity, migraine, or cancer treatment.
• Combine linear’s scale and reach with digital channel targeting and measurement. Pair traditional TV campaigns with CTV and digital analytics to track and measure search, web traffic, and prescriptions.