The partnership will allow Advance sales staff to sell Microsoft Media Network (MMN) inventory on the local level, as well as offer behavioral targeted advertising.
"We have the No. 1 local news and information sites in each of our markets," Peter Weinberger, president of Advance Internet, said in a press statement, citing Media Audit data.
"Now through our agreement with Microsoft, we will be able to serve our advertisers with even better online marketing solutions."
Advance said that, with the addition of MMN's inventory, it can expand its local reach in the marketplace to about 75% of all US adults that use the internet.
Additionally, Advance will be implementing Microsoft Advertising's Content Ads and Search Ads - which serve contextually relevant advertisements - within articles and other content pages, and will be able to sell Microsoft search products.
"The local perspective that Advance Internet offers will be incredibly helpful as we develop our reseller efforts," Brian Handly, general manager, Microsoft PubCenter, said in a press statement.
"We are excited to expand content and search ads into Advance Internet's portfolio of regional websites."
Ken Doctor, an affiliate analyst perhaps best-known for his Content Bridges blog site, said that the deal - which involves selling network inventory with state-of-the-art tools - has become the new media mantra, as players position for an ad recovery.
The deal also centers on paid content - generating new revenues from readers - a subject that is getting the lion's share of attention this summer, he said.
This comes in parallel with news companies' moves to transform their local sales operations from print to full-bore digital continue apace.
In his blog, Doctor said that is what is different from the current industry norm is that Advance Internet is maintaining its own ad platform, currently powered by 24/7 RealMedia, and integrating this with Microsoft.
"Yahoo Newspaper Consortium members have fully adopted the Yahoo APT platform for their ad serving businesses, creating a closer, more exclusive relationship," he said.
"`We wanted flexibility,' Peter Weinberger, president of Advance Internet, tells me. Weinberger won't specify what parts of the deal involve exclusivity or the duration of the contract," he added.
According to Doctor, what what makes sense to him, conceptually at least, is that Advance is trying to remain at the solid center of its business.
"Here, it is leveraging Microsoft technology and network assets, but is not bound to its platform," he said.