Microsoft Advertising expands LinkedIn profile targeting to CTV

Microsoft Advertising is bringing LinkedIn profile targeting to connected TV campaigns, giving advertisers a new way to blend professional audience data with streaming inventory.

The announcement was made by Product Liaison Navah Hopkins during the SEM Stories event on May 14.

Why we care. Microsoft has long differentiated itself through access to LinkedIn audience data. Bringing that targeting capability into connected TV extends those signals into a fast-growing upper funnel format that has historically lacked precise professional targeting.

For B2B advertisers especially, the move could help bridge the gap between brand awareness and performance measurement.

What’s new. According to Hopkins, advertisers can now target connected TV audiences using LinkedIn profile attributes tied to a user’s profession.

That means marketers may be able to reach viewers based on professional characteristics such as:

• Industry
• Job function
• Company category
• Professional identity signals

Hopkins framed the feature as a way to build “really meaningful” audience lists that are less dependent on click-based intent signals.

The bigger picture. The announcement fits into Microsoft’s broader push toward AI-powered and audience-first advertising experiences.

During the session, Hopkins repeatedly emphasized the convergence of brand and performance marketing, arguing that AI-driven journeys are collapsing traditional funnels.

Connected TV sits squarely in that conversation.

Historically, CTV has been treated as a brand-heavy channel with weaker attribution than search or shopping campaigns. LinkedIn-powered audience targeting could make those campaigns more actionable for performance-minded marketers who need tighter audience controls.

The update also strengthens Microsoft’s positioning against competitors in both the streaming and B2B advertising markets.

What to watch. Key questions remain around, available markets, measurement and attribution capabilities, how granular LinkedIn audience segmentation will become in CTV campaigns and privacy and compliance controls for professional audience targeting.

Still, the announcement gives Microsoft another differentiator in a crowded CTV market where advertisers increasingly want stronger audience precision without sacrificing scale.

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