Nexxen, which owns both a DSP and an SSP, has launched a verticalized offering for health advertisers. The new product, aptly named Nexxen Health, is designed specifically to help healthcare brands run data-compliant campaigns across web and TV (both linear and CTV), with a particular emphasis on the latter given how much healthcare advertisers typically invest in television.
This isn’t just a simple reskin of a media-buying platform aimed at a new vertical. Nexxen Health includes an integration with PurpleLab, a healthcare analytics company that, according to the release, “holds the largest medical and pharmaceutical claims database in the US,” to support more targeted campaigns.
From what we can gather from the announcement, Nexxen brings its own contextual targeting capabilities via Nexxen Discovery, which is partly powered by ACR data from OEM partners Hisense and VIDAA.
By combining these capabilities with PurpleLab’s data, Nexxen aims to “add additional layers of accuracy” and “expand reach with new patient and healthcare provider audiences.” The partnership enables healthcare advertisers to “activate and measure outcomes on approximately 500 privacy-safe and contextually relevant, direct-to-consumer healthcare audiences programmatically.”
Why This Matters:
This is a smart play by Nexxen. Healthcare is one of the biggest spenders in TV advertising, especially on linear and CTV, where strict data regulations often limit targeting options. Per EMARKETER:
“Spending on traditional media is declining, but linear TV remains optimal for healthcare and pharma ads. We project that healthcare and pharma ad spending on traditional media channels will decrease from $9.49 billion in 2023 to $8.49 billion in 2024, down 10.5%.”
By building tailored solutions for health brands, adtech companies can unlock a high-value, high-compliance category that’s actively looking for better ways to reach audiences without violating privacy rules. It’s a strategic move that taps into a steady, regulated ad budget while showing how programmatic can adapt to meet vertical-specific needs.
Experts React:
Here’s a good quote from the release by Kristy Quagliariello, VP of Programmatic Media at marketing agency, Klick Health.
“We have been using Nexxen Discovery to yield critical insights for our growing roster of life sciences clients and are energized by how its integration of PurpleLab’s data promises to add a layer of qualification to our audiences prior to activation, and generate added levels of accuracy and insights for our clients.”
Our Take:
Healthcare advertisers have been a bit uneasy this year about the new administration’s policies around TV advertising. Moreover, it’s still not entirely clear how these policies might impact CTV. In a more regulated environment, smarter spending and more targeted approaches could become key.
That’s why partnering with adtech vendors offering healthcare-specific solutions—and demonstrating a clear commitment to compliance—is smart. It’s an interesting moment for the category, and we may see more adtech players step up, like Nexxen, with tailored offerings, as a result.
