TV-Style Commercials Coming to Xbox Live

Hevva

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Aug 2, 2011
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TV-Style Commercials Coming to Xbox Live



Xbox Live's range of entertainment apps will now feature regular commercial spots.

As Microsoft continues to gently steer the Xbox 360 towards being just as much an "entertainment center" [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/114524-Heres-The-Skinny-On-Microsofts-New-360-Update] as it is a games console, we're likely to see more and more hallmarks of non-gaming media popping up on our dashboards. To wit: Microsoft has today announced its intention to start peppering TV and video apps with 15-30 second commercials of exactly the type you're used to seeing on regular old television.

This annoucement comes shortly after Microsoft revealed that U.S.-based Xbox Live Gold subscribers now spend more time using the Xbox's apps than indulging in its multiplayer gaming experiences. Concurrently, Microsoft has seen an increase of 142% in advertising revenue from Xbox Live over the past two years.

"With the growth of Xbox Live, advertisers no longer have to choose between digital and TV advertising - we're offering the impact of TV and the interactivity and addressability of digital in one platform," commented Microsoft's Ross Honey, general manager of Xbox Live Entertainment and Advertising.

"As more and more industry leaders like ESPN work with us to help monetize their content on Xbox Live, TV media buyers win with the ability to extend their standard TV spots to this highly engaged consumer audience," added Honey.

The company also announced that an anime streaming service will soon be made available to U.S. Xbox Live users via Manga Entertainment. It was only a matter of time until the entertainment userbase on the Xbox became large enough to warrant the consistent interest of a broad swathe of advertisers; that time has now come. Just nobody suggest that one day we'll be able to pay to skip them. I'd get too freaked out [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Mirror_%28TV_series%29#2._.2215_Million_Merits.22].


Source: Eurogamer [http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2012-04-25-microsoft-to-launch-tv-style-adverts-on-xbox-live]

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Fappy

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Jan 4, 2010
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This makes me a sad panda. Good thing I have netflix.
 

mad825

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Mar 28, 2010
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PCs can skip Ads.

PC:3 Console: 0

I just love doing this :). I know, In all seriousness, life is going to be like this one day :/
 

Absolutionis

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Sep 18, 2008
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Don't XBox Live people already pay money for the online service? They're paying for commercials now?
 

BeefSteak

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Oct 3, 2007
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So I'm paying for XBL, and for (in some cases) the subscription to the app, and now I have to watch commercials on them too? If this is going in and everything else stays the same... NO. If it starts making the price of a year of XBL cheaper... Then I can deal with that.
 

darthzew

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Jun 19, 2008
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Here comes a fun thread.

I don't have a big a problem with this. I mean, sure, it's a little inconvenient, but it sounds just like Hulu or Youtube. It doesn't feel like something worth complaining about
 

Desworks

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Nov 18, 2009
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I have no problem with this if it means, by proxy, that xbox live subscriptions are leaving us. If free apps have ad's, that's just life. If Microsoft start sticking me with ad's on services I pay to get access too, then we have a problem.
 

TilMorrow

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Jul 7, 2010
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Absolutionis said:
Don't XBox Live people already pay money for the online service? They're paying for commercials now?
Indeed it appears so. They should at least open up some of the online services (multiplayer, youtube, FB) to Silver Account holders if they have the adverts everywhere now. And let the Gold Account holders have a cheaper subscription, and access to everything as well as the discounts and removal of ADs. Otherwise its bloody BS treatment for their customers.
 

DonJavo

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Sep 22, 2009
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Surprise Level: Zero.

As Microsoft moves more into entertainment as a whole, it needs cash lines to justify these moves, and ads are the easiest way to make some cash.

Optimistic me would like to think the the potential rise in ad revenue would help bring down subscription costs, but I will not hold my breathe.

One pays for cable TV and one still gets ads so Microsoft is probably looking at that business model to maximize their profits in their gaming console turned "Better than my set-top box" console.

I would hope the ads also just stay in the applications because if an ad shows up as the splash screen in place of the normal 360 logo, I will be a little upset about that.
 

Hazy992

Why does this place still exist
Aug 1, 2010
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But I already have to pay to use those video services, and now you're gonna fill it with ads? Talk about having your cake and eating it -_-
 

Forgetitnow344

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Jan 8, 2010
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Does that mean Netflix? You're putting commercials on Netflix? Fuck you, Microsoft.

But thank you for the Anime streaming app...
 
Apr 28, 2008
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Well, I guess I'll just try my hardest to not buy anything being advertised. All I can really do I suppose. Anime streaming service is nice though.

captcha: face the music

Oh fuck you captcha you cheeky bastard,
 

Tohuvabohu

Not entirely serious, maybe.
Mar 24, 2011
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What's the matter microsoft? Is that 60$ you take from us every year not enough, now you're ramming commercials into your console?

I'm not the type of person to make knee-jerk complaints about every little change to my usual videogame playing routine. But seriously, Fuck this. I'm already not happy about having to pay to use xbox live, now there's going to be commercials too? I can't help myself from being pretty goddamn annoyed about this.