Audio Is the Perfect Alternative for Pharma TV Ad Dollars

May 5, 2025

It’s no surprise that broadcast and cable TV viewership continues to drop across all age groups. And it may not shock you that nearly half of US adults (48%) oppose pharma ads on TV, according to a recent CivicScience survey.

What might surprise you? Pharma advertisers are doubling down on TV anyway.

According to iSpot.TV, the top-10 pharma advertisers spent nearly 30% more money on TV commercials in Q1 2025 compared to the same time last year. Yes, Q1 is packed with premium live TV events like major sporting games and the Academy Awards—but pharma remains one of the only industries still prioritizing linear TV over digital.

Digital Audio Is Booming, but Pharma Is Missing Out

As the popularity of linear TV continues to decline, digital audio is on the rise. Digital audio now reaches 79% of all Americans and listenership has grown +16% since 2020. And while audio represents 21.4% of total media time spent among American consumers, pharma marketers allocate less than 1% of their advertising budgets toward the audio medium—a huge miss if you want to be where consumers are.

The good news is that pharma brands who make the move to digital audio can reach bigger, more ad-receptive audiences and stand out from the crowd. As broadcast and cable TV viewership continues to drop across all age groups, now is the right time to shift your pharma media spend. And as the leader in ad-supported audio, SiriusXM Media is a strong destination for those pharma TV ad dollars. From large audiences, to targeted campaigns, to innovative video ad formats, to measurable success, we’ve got your pharma brand covered.

SiriusXM Media Reaches Your Pharma Audience, Eyes and Ears

Streaming music today is an interactive experience; listeners are scrolling, exploring, and curating playlists instead of just turning a dial and station-hopping during commercial breaks. According to Edison’s Q1 2025 Share of Ear Study, 53% of time spent listening to audio happens on digital screen devices (mobile, computer, CTV), while there has been a -32% decrease in time spent listening on AM/FM radio in the past decade.

We offer more than just long-form audio ad capabilities across streaming music and podcasts. Our video ad solutions help pharma brands deliver high-impact creative in leaned-in, screen-based moments—not passive background media. Our video ads are only served during interactive moments, which can take pharma campaigns to the next level. In fact, our internal data shows that adding video and display to audio-only streaming campaigns can lead to +52% incremental reach.

For an industry that has historically relied so heavily on television advertising, the digital audio environment gives pharma marketers a real opportunity to stand out and engage.

Long-Form Video for an Opted-in Audience

Pharma advertisers now have multiple options when it comes to running long-form branded ads across SiriusXM Media. Here are a few of our video options on Pandora:

Video Plus enables you to serve a 60-second video when a listener opts in to watch a video ad in order to unlock additional skips, song replays, or premium access—features typically available only in the paid environment. This product helps pharma marketers capture a strong signal of intent as listeners actively choose to opt in and engage with your brand messaging. And the types of listeners opting-in are some of Pandora’s most engaged, listening 57% longer and thumbing 65% more. Another perk? It’s a waste-free model: Brands pay only when a listener watches a full 15 seconds of their video ad.

Our Rewarded Video product is another great way to reach highly engaged users as they enjoy their Pandora experience. For this product you can run a branded video ad that’s up to 2:30 minutes in length and include a banner ad with ISI. Rewarded Video enables you to give your target audience one or four hours of ad-free listening after the user views your video ad for a minimum of 30 seconds. In addition to securing hard-to-get listener attention, Rewarded Video, like Video Plus, is another waste-free model: You only pay when users engage with your video ad.

Bottom Line: Get Attention with Us

TV is not pharma’s only option. And while consumers have had their fill of pharma commercials on television, 68% of our listeners say they WANT to hear pharma ads and 46% want to hear useful information about side effects.

It’s time for pharma marketers to close the digital audio gap and serve both audio and video where their consumers are paying attention—with us. Let’s talk.