Kantar and LinkedIn: CTV Context Lab
B2B buyers don’t stop being professionals when they turn on the TV. But reaching them on connected TV has usually meant buying broad and hoping the right people are watching. Kantar set out to test whether LinkedIn’s professional audiences change that.
Across an experiment with eight B2B brands on three CTV platforms, Kantar compared how LinkedIn professional audiences and general market audiences responded to the same ads. The findings show that LinkedIn’s CTV targeting reaches professionals who are hard to find elsewhere, and that these audiences respond more strongly at every stage: they remember the ads, rate them more favorably, feel closer to the brand, and are more likely to act.
View key highlights from the study below:
+13%
more likely to recall B2B CTV ads
LinkedIn professional audiences were 13% more likely to recall B2B CTV ads than general market audiences exposed to the same ads.
+57%
higher Purchase Intent than the streaming TV norm
LinkedIn professionals drove 57% higher Purchase Intent than the streaming TV norm.
+53%
higher Recommendation Intent
Following exposure to B2B CTV ads, LinkedIn professionals generated 53% higher Recommendation Intent than general market audiences.
+58%
higher Brand Affinity
LinkedIn professionals drove nearly 58% higher Brand Affinity than general market audiences exposed to the same CTV ads.
+53%
more likely to take action
2.1x
more likely to post about the ad on social
Relative to general market audiences, LinkedIn professionals were nearly 53% more likely to take action after exposure to B2B CTV ads, including being 2.1x more likely to post about the ad on social media.
+79%
more likely to talk about the ad
LinkedIn professional audiences were 79% more likely to talk about the ad after exposure than general market audiences.
How LinkedIn professionals rated B2B CTV ads vs. general market audiences
LinkedIn professionals rated B2B CTV ads as more Relevant (+40%), Believable (+21%), Likable (+26%), and Informative (+24%) than general market audiences.
About the study: Kantar's CTV Context Lab, conducted with MediaScience, tested eight B2B ads across Paramount+, ESPN and NBCU between April and May 2026. Results compare A18+ US business professionals who use LinkedIn weekly with an A18+ general market audience, using a control vs. exposed design (total sample of 9,906). All results are averages across the eight brands.
Put your CTV budget in front of the right audience
For B2B brands, CTV works best when it reaches the people who make and influence business decisions. This study shows that LinkedIn’s professional audiences don’t just see your ads: they remember them, trust them and act on them.
Interested in learning more? Contact a Kantar or LinkedIn representative to make every CTV impression count.