​Announcing Video and CTV on the Microsoft Advertising​ platform

Combining the impact and scale of video—with the ease and intent data of search

3.5 hours—that’s how much time people will spend watching digital video daily by 2024. The series everybody is talking about. The comedy that cracks everyone up. The game that has everyone on the edge of their seats. And it will be happening everywhere—from streaming on living room smart TVs to smartphone videos on the subway.

It’s amazing just how much attention we dedicate to the stories, people, and places that unfold in video. And often, that’s not the only activity taking place—people are looking at two screens at once. In the US, 90% of Gen Z now second-screen internet and TV. So, while people are streaming their favorite shows, they’re also browsing online.¹

80% of consumers read the news online while watching TV.²

All of this is great news for advertisers. That’s why today at DMEXCO we announced a new video ad offering on the Microsoft Advertising platform: Video and Connected TV (CTV) ads, which give you the ability to create online Video and CTV ad campaigns right within the Microsoft Advertising platform.

Video and CTV ads help you reach your audience wherever they’re spending time. These ads appear where your audience is watching—on streaming platforms like Max, Hulu, and Bloomberg, as well as sites like MSN, Huffington Post, People, the Wall Street Journal, and many more.

Thanks to billions of first-party data points that are only available with Microsoft, there's nothing stopping you from finding your ideal audience

Online searches are one of the most powerful signals of intent. Think of it like a huge focus group of customers. With our Video and CTV ads, you can use these signals to get your brand in front of high value audiences with the right message at the right time.

And Microsoft's audience intelligence is so much more than just search intent. It’s a collection of permissioned first-party data points, combined across multiple properties, that help you reach your ideal customers. This includes search and web activity from Bing and our browser Microsoft Edge, content interests from Microsoft Start, demographics, and more.

Then, we apply machine learning algorithms to develop audiences based on consumer product and brand preferences, purchases and conversions, content preferences, and location—resulting in better targeted ads to reach your best audiences.

Creating Video ads is smart strategy

US programmatic video ad spend will grow $22.51 billion (about $69 per person in the US) between 2023 and 2025—a 30.2% increase, according to a forecast by eMarketer.³

Video and CTV ads from Microsoft Advertising offer incredible value and strategy. First, it’s easy. If you’re already running other Microsoft Advertising campaigns, like Search and Audience ads, you’ll set up your new Video ads campaigns within the same, familiar platform. And if this will be your first campaign, you can quickly launch your Video and CTV campaigns within the same day.

With Microsoft, there are no long onboarding processes, no setup fees, and it’s simple to optimize. You upload your video assets that best represent your brand, decide who they show to, and how often people see your video ads across multiple devices—all in just a few clicks.

Get started today

Now you can reach your audience in all the moments that matter. If you already advertise with Microsoft Advertising, you can complement your other ad formats to engage your customers across the funnel with the new Video and CTV ads.

If you're brand new to Microsoft Advertising, it's an exciting time to start advertising with us.

Businesses of all sizes have already seen success testing Video and CTV ads in pilot. And now you can too. It's never been easier to get up and running with Video and CTV.