Microsoft announced the aquisiton of Navic, a Waltham, Massachusetts based TV advertising company. The deal can be seen both as a response to Google making a presence in the TV advertising market, and as a solution to Yahoo saying no to Microsoft’s offer of acquisition.

Navic Networks is a company which provides the tools for companies to place their ads on the set-top boxes of the subscribers of certain cable providers. The company has the technology that allows the ads to be placed based on a real-time audience measurements, which makes the ad campaigns carried on with the help of Navic better targeted.

During the last few years, there appeared the possibility of carrying on ad campaigns for TV, but with the same low prices and better audience measurements that internet advertising offers. Navic is one of the companies that has pioneered this market, and has a well-established presence on it.

Of course, Microsoft, which has been focusing more and more on the ad segment, couldn’t miss the chance of entering this market, especially when rival Google has already made its presence.

The deal comes as part of the strategy that the Redmond-based company has devised after the failed acquisition of Yahoo. This new strategy means that the company will focus more on smaller, but better targeted acquisitions. Microsoft already bought Rapt and YaData as part of this strategy.

The terms of the deal with Navic were not disclosed. What is known is that Navic will become part of Microsoft Advertiser and Publisher Solutions Group.