New MSN video viewer more user-friendly, company promises

27th September 2007

Microsoft's new version of MSN Video will have more dispersed ad-placement in order to appeal to viewers, the company has revealed.

A centralised page will also allow viewers to watch one video while simultaneously searching through the video library.

Under the new advertising schedule, viewers will be exposed to an ad with every third clip, whereas previously it was every second clip.

The change is part of a drive aimed at "getting people to consume more video", says MSN general manager of entertainment Rob Bennett.

"We knew it was time to change the frequency of ads when people were getting more ads than content," he added, referring to the fact that the shortness of some video clips meant viewers could find themselves being exposed to advertisements very frequently.

"It obviously never made sense to run a 30-second ad against a 10-second piece of content," Forrester Research analyst Charlene Li told Media Post.

Yesterday, YouTube revealed that it is aiming to attract big name advertisers to its site by bringing in more professional content, among other measures.