RFK Jr. Targets Big Pharma Ads, Threatening Billions in TV Revenue
By Jake Beardslee ·
January 12, 2025
In the days leading up to the 2024 presidential election, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. addressed a crowd in Glendale, Arizona, during an event hosted by conservative commentator Tucker Carlson. The speech marked a pivotal moment in Kennedy’s political alignment, as he endorsed Donald Trump and focused his platform on healthcare reform, specifically calling out pharmaceutical advertising.
“One of the things I’m going to advise Donald Trump to do in order to correct the chronic disease epidemic is to ban pharmaceutical advertising on TV,” Kennedy declared. Gage Skidmore / Wikimedia
He argued that such advertising contributes to the United States' high disease rates and inflated drug costs, noting that only the U.S. and New Zealand allow direct-to-consumer pharmaceutical ads. Gage Skidmore / Wikimedia
Kennedy’s healthcare vision gained traction following Trump’s election victory, with the president-elect nominating him to head the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The announcement has left media executives on edge, as pharmaceutical companies represent one of the largest advertising spenders in the industry. Pixabay / Pexels
According to media measurement firm iSpot.tv, pharmaceutical advertising generates over $5 billion annually in national linear TV revenue, with billions more spent on digital and streaming platforms. Losing this revenue stream could destabilize a TV industry already grappling with competition from tech giants like YouTube, TikTok, and Amazon. JESHOOTS.com / Pexels
Fox Corp., for example, which owns Fox News and the Fox broadcast network, stands to lose hundreds of millions annually if a ban is enacted. CFO Steve Tomsic recently commented, “Is it a concern? We shouldn’t be flippant about it,” while downplaying the likelihood of a blanket ban. Analysts at S&P Global and GroupM agree that pharmaceutical advertising is a vital revenue source for TV networks, and its loss would exacerbate the challenges facing linear TV, which is already projected to see a 3.4% revenue decline in 2025. Fox Corporation / Wikimedia
The feasibility of such a ban remains uncertain. Free speech protections under the First Amendment pose significant legal obstacles to Kennedy’s proposal. Dan Novack, a media law attorney, questioned the viability of restricting FDA-approved drug advertisements, stating, according to The Hollywood Reporter, “I don’t believe that the courts would entertain this. I think they would find that a blanket ban is probably too much.” KATRIN BOLOVTSOVA / Pexels
Historical precedents, such as the 1970 Public Health Cigarette Smoking Act, demonstrate that bans on advertising require strong public health justification. Unlike cigarettes, pharmaceutical drugs approved by the FDA are generally regarded as providing net societal benefits. Geri Tech / Pexels
Conservative FCC Chairman Brendan Carr has expressed openness to exploring regulatory pathways, while CNBC commentators Andrew Ross Sorkin and Joe Kernen voiced support for the idea during a recent broadcast, arguing that healthcare decisions should be guided by doctors rather than advertisements. Kaboompics.com / Pexels
If enacted, the ban could shift pharmaceutical marketing strategies, with dollars redirected toward business-to-business (B2B) advertising aimed at prescribers. This could mitigate the revenue loss for some media sectors but would still leave national TV networks vulnerable. GroupM’s Kate Scott-Dawkins noted that “downside risks” from Kennedy’s appointment were factored into the firm’s 2025 industry forecast. Gage Skidmore / Wikimedia
