European linear standards consortiums have a fatal habit of moving too slowly when it comes to targeted advertising. The opportunity for sizable returns is closing fast as ad revenue jumps ship to more trusted, digital formats, and yet each time new specifications are announced or fleshed out, it seems as though enacting addressable advertising over linear is still out of reach. This week, the HbbTV Association has published the second phase of its Targeted Advertising (TA) standard, enabling the substitution of broadcast adverts on HbbTV-enabled TV sets that are connected to a set top. This second phase of specifications allows broadcaster apps to use the HbbTV-TA API to schedule precise transitions from HDMI set top feeds to targeted ads and…