LinkedIn Brings B2B Targeting to CTV via The Trade Desk
LinkedIn has signed a connected-TV advertising partnership with The Trade Desk, making The Trade Desk its first demand-side platform partner for CTV and enabling advertisers to use LinkedIn audience data for targeting CTV ad buys. The partnership is in a test phase with a small group of brands and complements LinkedIn’s existing CTV setup that works through Microsoft’s supply-side platform, Monetize. The deal comes as The Trade Desk faces market pressure and scrutiny following Publicis Groupe saying it would no longer recommend the DSP after an independent audit, which The Trade Desk disputes.
Key Takeaways
- The Trade Desk becomes LinkedIn’s first DSP partner for CTV, currently in a limited brand test.
- Advertisers can layer LinkedIn audience segments (e.g., job titles, decision-makers) onto CTV campaigns bought via The Trade Desk.
- LinkedIn positions CTV as upper-funnel reach with the option to retarget viewers later in the LinkedIn feed.
- The move could expand LinkedIn’s addressable CTV demand beyond direct buys, while keeping Microsoft Monetize in the supply path.
- The partnership lands as The Trade Desk faces reputational and competitive pressure, including Publicis pausing recommendations after an audit dispute.
Why It Matters
This is “LinkedIn on the couch”: premium, sound-on CTV inventory paired with deterministic-ish B2B identity signals. For streamers and CTV sellers, more LinkedIn-enabled spend flowing through a major DSP can accelerate the shift toward audience-based TV buying—and intensify the fight over who owns the ID layer (publisher, DSP, or data provider). For The Trade Desk, landing LinkedIn is a credibility win at a volatile moment, reinforcing its “open internet” narrative versus walled gardens. For advertisers, it’s a new path to make CTV measurable for B2B, not just consumer brands.
Read full article at businessinsider.com